where do we go from here 11: same mistakes
by zantha19
Summary: Katara and Zuko have news, but things dont go as planed when everyone arvies in the fire nation. Toph is hurt, Aang blames himself and want sto make up for it. The envents of this visit are going to effect everyone for a long time to come.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello. This is the 1th part of the on going story. It isn't essential to have read the parts before this one, but it would make more sense if you did. Hope you like it. **

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It had been almost a year and a half since Aang came to Toph in Omashi, asking for her help in tracking down Long Feng. They had been more or less travelling together for all of this time. They where both now seventeen almost eighteen, and finally on their way to the southern air temple. He had first brought up the idea of taking her to see the southern air temple, the place he grew up in a long time ago. It was a trip that to him seemed to be over due. The closer they got to the air temple the more he became aware of how different things where now, from the last time he had been there. Their was no Katara or Sokka . No Zuko chasing after him either. In the year and half they had been travelling they had really seen anyone else from the group. They had been a little preoccupied by escaping war criminals, new students and aliases.

It would be great to see everyone again. To all be in the same place again. They all seemed to be settled into the lives they had created for themselves, settling down into family's of their own. They found where they were meant to be, and what they were meant to be doing. Aang was pleased for them, but he felt like a child compared to them. He was still travelling around, like be had been doing for nearly five years. Nothing had really changed in his life, he had stuck to the only way of life that he knew. Having Toph with him helped, knowing she was in the same place as him. Not quite ready to fully settle in one place, with one job. That must be why she had to so many jobs, and titles that went with them.

Maybe this too was changing. Before they left Ba Sing Sa, she had accepted a bracelet from Lord Toro. The bracelet they had decided didn't carry with it the meaning that it normally had to the nobility of the earth kingdom. That he was making his intention to ask her to marry him one day known. They had chosen to, when they met again decide what this gift meant to them. Aang had been very surprised by Toph's acceptance of the bracelet, before he knew what it would normally mean. It didn't seem like her. So maybe she was starting to think about settling down herself. The image of her married with children, he just couldn't picture. If it did happen he would be happy for her. He would miss her though. Like he missed everyone else. He missed them all when he was gone. There was just something inside of him that kept him going anyway. He was a nomad after all.

Appa was getting closer to the air temple. Aang was almost sure he could see it in the faint light of the morning sun still a little far off in the distance. Toph was still sleeping in the saddle. Her sleeping hadn't gotten any better in the year and half of travelling. She still tossed and turned for hours before only finding sleep in the wee hours of the morning. Making her sleep till the sun had completely risen. He turned round to look at her sleeping her blanket pushed away, Momo resting by her head.

He turned back, but turned round to face her again a second later. As with a low yell she awoke and quickly shout up to a sitting position. "That dream again."

she shock her head. Moving her loose hair from her face. "No."

"Toph." He had gained an authority in his voice that she couldn't say she was pleased with.

A few night ago while they had been in Ba Sing Sa Toph had woken in the night, screaming so loudly that Aang heard her from his room. He came running, despite the fact they were fighting at the time. Her dream had been that she felt a presence, then all of a sudden she felt a sharp hot stabbing pain in her stomach. It was the fact that the pain felt so real that she woke up screaming. This was their second night travelling, and she had woken up from the first night in much the same way.

"It was the dream, but I woke up before...the pain." She had stood up and moved closer to the edge of the saddle nearest him, so she could hear him better over the roaring wind.

"We're here" Toph had never heard that tone in his voice before. She wasn't sure if it was childless joy, or he was trying to hide his fear. She was hoping for the former. Holding onto the rim of the saddle she prepared herself for their descent. No matter how much flying she did in her life, she knew for a fact that she would never get used to it. She couldn't see how anyone could.

Toph was the first one to touch down onto the ground after Appa landed. Wanting to be on solid ground again, as soon as possible. The second her feet hit the ground a cold chill ran through her whole body. This please was not like the other air temples, it felt like death. She felt Aang getting something from the saddle. She was glad he wasn't touching the ground. She didn't want him to have to feel what she did. She wanted to speak to say something, but there was nothing

She crossed her arms, rubbing her arms trying to keep warm. She was not very well dressed for this cold climate. She had tried to be, what she wore had been to warm for late summer, but she never thought it would be too cold from early autumn. While travelling she had put on her grandfathers brown leather gauntlets, for extra warmth. Not that they did her much good now..

"Here." Aang had bent himself down next to her. He handed her a brown clock of his. Aang was prepared for the weather. He was still wearing more or less the same thing he wore nearly five years ago, only he was wearing a long sleeved white top under his robe. That was enough for him, he was used to his. It was his home after all. "It matches you boots."

"How would you like the print on the soul of my boots to match the bruise on your butt. Air head." While she spoke, she gladdy too the cloak from him, and pulled it tightly around herself. Even though they argued a lot, they had found a balance they knew how to wind the other one up, but they also knew when to draw the line. They had seen the worst side of each other. Despite this they had still chosen to keep travelling together. If that wasn't real friendship what was. Not that either of them would really call the other friend to their face.

After she fastened the clock in place, Toph knelled down. She placed her right palm on the ground. She was trying to get a better idea about the earth around her, it just didn't seem right."This was the first place the fire nation attacked, wasn't it." She tilted her head to face Aang. She had never been taught anything about the hundred year war, and Aang never talked about it. His past before Katara and Sokka found him was also held tightly to his chest.

"They didn't have a change to get away." It was the way he spoke so cold, that upset her more than what he said.

"Sorry" She didn't know why she said that. She pulled herself up, rubbing her hands on her trousers as she did. "This place is so pretty. Once we rebuild it like the others It is going to be my favourite, despite the weather." He knew she was trying to chance the subject, and exaggerating. To stop him having to thing about it. It was this fact and not what she said that made him smile a little.

"Would you like the tour." He bowed, and spoke in the formal voice. He knew she hated.

"I already got the tour when I touched the ground, but if it makes you happy twinkles. lead the way." She gesture with her hand out towards the main entrance to the air temple.

Aang lead her through what remained of the temple. It had been a lot essayer than he thought it was going to be. Mainly because Toph was doing anything she could think of to take his mind of the more painful aspects of the place. She had him tell her every detail of the game of air ball he had with Sokka. She had then demand a demonstration. This was not essay with one person.

"You know, I think even a blind player would be better than Sokka. Care for a game." Aang held out a hand for Toph, to help her onto the platform. Rather than taking his hand, she crossed her arms, causing the cloak to fall over her shoulder more, completely covering her. Making her look a little more fierce, matched with the unblinking look she shout in his direction. "Sorry." he let out a slight laugh, as he launched himself into the air. He flipped over mid-air, before landing a good few feet behind Toph. She spun round very quickly to face him again. "Come on."

He started to walk back into the temple again. Toph started to follow him, but stopped. Her heart was racing. She felt strange, she didn't want to go into that part of the air temple. It didn't take her long to figure out why. "I'm starving, let's go back and eat."

"Yeah, sure it's getting late any way." Aang noticed something odd in her voice, but he was getting hunger too. Before he could tell her that caring on the way he was about to take them, would take them back to the camp they had made up outside the main entrance quicker she had had taken of back the way they had come, at a very fast pace.

After they had eaten. It was still not late enough for they to go to sleep, so they talked. They thought about bring Aang's first airbending student Yunru, here to train once they had made the temple more liveable. That would only take them four, five days max, then about ten, eleven to go and collect Yunru and get back to the air temple. By then autumn would be well under way. Aang bent a fire to keep them warm. Toph held the cloak even tighter around herself, pulling her knees into her chest.

When it was late enough for them to go to sleep, Toph bent an earth tent to sleep in. Aang found that a little odd, she hadn't slept in an earth tent the whole time they had been travelling. They had stayed in inns and palaces most of the time though, and it was very cold. Any way to keep a little warmer would be welcome. He was also tiered after travelling for almost two days straight, so he was glad of the early night, and didn't say a word.

Once she was sure he was asleep, Toph pulled down the earth tent, and headed to the back to the section of the air temple she had pulled them always from. She pulled the hood of the cloak over her head. This had become a bit of a habit of hers. Walking away from him when he was sleeping. She had done it a lot in Ba sing Sa. She had had good reason to that, this time though she felt like there was no way that what she was doing could he turned against her, like her actions in BA Sing Sa. Thought she wouldn't change them, she would do the same thing again.

The temple had the same air of death that it had had when she got here, in the day light. Now in the darkness, it seemed to be amplified. Not that it being dark really had any affect on her. This was actually the first and only time in her life that she was a little uncomfortable with knowing that it was also complete dark around her, as well as in her head. She felt lost in an endless dark void. She felt her mouth open a little, but she didn't make a sound. She guesses that maybe she had been going to call out his name, but she couldn't do that. He couldn't know what she was doing. She started to walk a little faster.

The hall she had been heading for, was where most of the air nomads had been when the fire nation attacked,where they became trapped. It was where many of them had died. There was still traces of this in the hall. Toph hadn't wanted Aang to see that. She was going to bend the earth to bury the remains. It was a small thing, but it was all she could do. She hoped by giving them a proper burial it would give them dignity, which they deserved.

She pulled her hood down before she entered the hall. Then walked till she stood in the centre of the hall, holding her arms out in-front of herself. Her finger twitched a little still she pulled them into a clenched fist. When she was done, she let her arms fall to her side. They become hidden under the cloak again. "Rest in peace." She turned and started to walk away, when she felt a pair of feet land on the floor in front of her.

"Where you spying on me."

"You gave me reason too."

"I should have told you but…"

He finally cracked, and the smile he had been trying to hide finally crossed his face. It was very small, but still there. Not a smile of happiness, but of contentment. "Thanks Toph." He placed a hand on her shoulder. He was about to lift his other hand to pull her into a hug, when she moved away from him.

They started to walked back to the camp-site in silence. Toph feeling a little happy that she didn't have to the return journey back on her own. Also that she wasn't going to have to keep things from him again.

"You now, I was going to ask for your help in doing something like that Tomorrow." Toph bent her right leg round so she could kick Aang, who was walking on her right side. She only managed to hit just above his knee, but it was enough.

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**Thank you for reading, hope you liked it. I was worried that the part at the end didn't work with the change in tone. But as I am written this I have to try and work in what I had already done. Please like always let me know what you think, and keep reading. It will get more interesting. Also this is the 96th chapter of the story as a whole, so there is something big coming up. **


	2. Chapter 2

**This is not the next chapter. As the story is a rewrite I can't get rid of the first chapter. So I replaced it. However it would mark the story as up-dated, so I am adding this so it will be up-dated. Sorry to disappointment, but I will have the next chapter done soon. This also gives me the chance to encourage you to please review, if you haven't yet. Again thank you for reading and there will be more to come soon. **


	3. Chapter 3

Toph was the first one up the next morning, very unlike her. When Aang woke up she was standing facing out the way they had come. Her right arm was held up, bent slightly at the elbow. He felt a little pang of worry. Maybe she had had that dream again.

"What are you doing." He pulled himself out of his sleeping bag and walked towards her. He know took more notice of her bent arm, and couldn't understand why she was standing like that.

"Wait 18 seconds and watch where I am facing."He was now standing next to her. He wasn't sure what he was meant to be looking at or for, but he thought he saw a black dot in the distance, getting larger. "7, 6,5,4,3,2,1" By the time she was finished the count down a messenger hawk was on her right arm "Could you read it I don't what to get ink on my fingers." She always took greet pride in the fact that she had learned to read. She did this by running her fingers over the ink, feeling the earth minerals in the ink.

_Dear Aang and Toph_

_I hope you two are both reading this, meaning you haven't killed each other. Zuko and I really what to see everyone. We know you may not be near by, but it is important. send a message back to let us know when you are! coming. _

_Love Katara and Zuko_

"About time sparky." A smile but heartfelt smile was no plastered on her normally stone face, as she spoke more to herself than to him. "Let them know we will be there in about 6 days." She turned to walk away. She was going do get her canteen to give the hawk, still resting on her arm a drink of water, before he made his return journey.

"It's only going to take us 3 days to get there on Appa. Two if you get me fly us on the glider." Of course he didn't really have any intention of flying them all the way to the fire nation on his glider. He just liked the panic he knew she would feel from, the suggestion. She was normally very steady, calm, he liked being able to cause her to react like that.

"For the last time no. I am not going to fly on your glider ever, and of course it's not going to take us that long to get there. We will turn up early and surprise them."

Aang always knew that he was never going to understand girls, and Toph was even more of on enigma. He wrote a message back. Assuring Katara they where both alive, and when they would be there in Toph specified time. While he did this he couldn't help winding her up a little. "Firstly, you have flown on my glider, twice already. Second, I really don't see the point in surprising them like this. Despite that, I'll go along with it. Only to prove Katara wrong."

Turning from feeding Momo and the hawk some bread, Toph faced Aang. "What are you talking about. Prove Katara wrong about what."

He knew that that would get her attention. "Nothing really, she just said that she thought I would only be able to put up with travelling with you for two years, at the very most."

A grin now appeared on her face. "Funny. Zuko said the same thing to me." She was now walking back over to him, the hawk on her arm again. When she reached him, he tied the message to his ankle. Toph lifted her arm, then pulled it down. The hawk took the hint and flow off her arm, back into the air. "Although. He said I would only be able to stand you for a year at the most. Guess I proved him wrong." She didn't look at him while she spoke.

As he watched the hawk leave, and listened to Toph's, well timed come back, he noticed Toph had a deep smile on her face "Why are you so happy."

As she answered she kept her face turned out in-front of her. "Our soul mates are going to get married to their true loves, of course I'm happy." She spoke with such conviction, he almost forgot that he didn't understand a word she was saying.

She turned to walk back to the camp, to begin packing it up. "Wait, what. No one said any thing about getting married. Am I missing something."

"They are going to tell us they are getting married. Katara is your soul mate and Zuko is mine, and they are each others true love." She couldn't see his face but she could tell he had a look of utter confusion plastered on his face. With a sigh she went on. "A soul mate is someone that you are always going to be connected too, no matter what. Your true love, is the person that you are meant to be with every day of your life. They are enough like you that you can spend a lot of time with them. Different enough that they bring out an other side of you. Making you whole"

He wasn't sure what surprised him more, that all of that made sense to him or that Toph had known all of that. It was the kind of thing he would have expected Katara to come out with not Toph. Maybe Katara had been the one to tell her all of this. Explaining why she was with Zuko now. It could also have been her stepmother, or whoever it was that took care of her as a young child. Read her stories, that kind of thing.

"Iroh." She answered him, without him having to ask the question, he was working over in his head.

"They are going to be really happy then." He was talking more to himself than her, but of course she heard anyway.

"And we are going to be really late, if we don't leave now." She was now shoving the last of her things into her pack.

Aang walked over to her, till he was standing over her. "Toph." His gentle voice, made her tilt her head up to face him. "There is something I need to do, before we leave. Will you help me with it." He offered her his hand.

Hesitantly, as she was not sure what was going on, she took his hand. He then pulled her to her feet gently. Once she was standing he let her hand go, and walked off, into the temple. Toph followed him, keeping a few steps behind him. She was still not interlayer comfortable with this place. She didn't think she ever would be. In face she had felt so excited when she heard the faint sound of the bell the hawk wore. She hoped it would be message for one of them, asking them to go somewhere. She had never expected it to be such good news. The message it's self didn't say much, she had to read between the lines, what it didn't say.

Aang lead them to a part of the temple that he hadn't take her to the other day. She picked up on what they were walking towards before they got there. She started to piece it together. He was taking her to the final resting place of Master Gyatso. She had over heard Sokka and Katara talking about this place a long time ago. That was how she knew what was going on. What she didn't know, was why he wanted her to come with him. This was the kind of thing she thought people wanted to do on there own. If she ever found out where her birth mother was buried, then she would go there, but on her own. She never knew her mother, so it wasn't the same. Aang knew and loved Master Gyatso, so maybe that was why he didn't want to do this alone.

Once they entered the hall where Gyatso rested, She held back. Letting Aang go forward alone. She was taking in the shear number of fire nation solders in the hall with Gyatso. She had severely underestimated the air nomad ability to seriously fight. She turned her attention back to Aang. He was trying to left his arms. She could tell what he was trying to do. Reluctantly she walked further into the room, till she was by his side.

"I'll take care of the soldiers." Repeating the same movement she had done the night before, she buried the fire nation soldiers. They may have been caring out genocide, but they had only been doing what they were ordered too. That was at least what she hoped. They deserved to be buried properly.

Aang gave her a weak smile, as thank that she never saw. Again he tried to lift his arms, but could only raise them a couple of inches. Toph had moved to stand by his side, a few feet in-front of Gyatso. The room should feel bigger now, but to her she felt like the walls were closing in around her. She could only guess at what Aang was feeling. "I can do it for you, if y..."

"Thank you, but I have to do this myself." She nodded and turned to walk away, he gentle took hold of her wrist in his hand. He didn't say anything. He didn't have too. Once she was turned around again and they stood side by side, Aang keeled down. He slowly reached out to his master. He carefully removed the string of bead, with a tag engraved with the air nomad symbol from around his neck. He stayed almost ridged in the same spot for a few seconds, before he pulled himself back onto his feet. He clutched the tag tightly into his palm.

Again he brought his hands out in-front of himself. Toph didn't want to tell him that he could do the bending that he wanted to with one hand clenched shut, so he slowly lifted her arm, mirroring him. "We can do it together." Her voice came out sounding strange, even to her. It was soft and comforting. Two things that were never associated with her.

In sync they bend the earth to fall, taking Gyatso with it, covering him in its warm embrace. They stood there, heads bowed for a few seconds. Toph finally moved, with just one hand she bent a small part of the earth they had just bent into the air nomad symbol. Making a permanent reminder of the finally resting place of Gyatso, avatar Aang airbending master.

A little later they felt, returned to their camp to pack and leave. Toph loaded the last of supplies that they hadn't eaten yet onto the saddle. She then noticed that Aang was sanding a few feet away, on the edge of the mountain, looking out into the wide sky before him. He still held the tag in his hand. She slowly walked over to him. She tried to think of what to say, what was there to say though. She was not very good with this kind of thing. For maybe the second time in her life, she wished she was a little like Katara. She would know what to say.

"The beads feel apart. That's what happens after a hundred and five years I guess." His voice sounded wrong. It was deeper, harsher.

He had lifted the tag up in his hand to show her. Not remembering that she couldn't see it. An idea came to Toph like a lighting bolt striking. She as carefully, yet as fast as she could took the tag and beads from his hand. Many of the beads feel to the ground as she pulled it from Aang. The rest she gently dropped. She was wearing her hair tied back in a low ponytail. With a long piece of brown string. She pulled this lose and then pulled it trough the loop on the tag that had held it onto the string of beads. Once she had attached it to the thick string, she took a step forward. She moved to wrap her arms around his neck, tying the tag around his neck. "He would have wonted you to have it." After she tied the tag, she didn't pull away. Her hands met and she gave him a soft hug. He lifted his hand slowly, only resting them lightly just above her hips.

As she slipped away from him, the new bracelet she wore on her left wrist, scratched the back of his neck. He had never be that comfortable with the idea of that bracelet. Now he had been marked by it, maybe it was trying to tell him something.

Toph made her way back to Appa, ready to leave. Aang followed after her, once he had taken one last look around the temple, his childhood home. He bent himself to his spot ready to take off. He made a promise to himself, and the people he had grown up with. He would be back, he would restore this place to its former glory. He would also do what he could, however small to make a start on rebuilding the air nomad race and culture.

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**Again thank you fro reading. Hope you like it. The stuff at the start about soul mates and true love, is sort of a call back to part 6. the conversation between Toph and Iroh. Also I have added a new link in my profile. It is of the bracelet that lord Toro gave Toph in the last part, check it out. **


	4. Chapter 4

"I can just get my head around the idea off arriving early, surprising them. I am just having a heard time understanding why are we walking to the fire nation capital." Aang was trying to stop his voice coming out overly whiny, but knew he was failing.

Aang and Toph where now an hours walk from the fire nation capital. They where walking down a very dusty road. There was large and small mounds of rock on either side of the road. When his mind drifted, Aang tried to think of what these mounds of earth looked like. He had found a tea cup and swords and a upside down tree so far.

They had stopped at a village close by to get a present for their friends. Katara and Zuko hadn't told then they where engaged, but it was obvious that that was what they where going to tell them. Toph didn't like to push this point to much with Aang, not knowing how he was feeling about it all. So she insisted that they stop at the closest village to the capital to get a present. Making him deal with the fact, without having to really deal with it. They finally decided on a book of poetry, Toph didn't like the idea but Katara would love it.

Once they had finished shopping Toph had a brilliant idea, to send Appa on ahead of them so Katara and Zuko would worry about them. Then they would turn up the next day and surprise them. Aang had a difficult time normally, trying to understand Toph. This was even more difficult to understand. She had a very odd sense of humour if she thought making her friends worry about her was fun. In fact he was very sure that she had even said at one point that she hated people worrying and fussing over her. He let out a sight, and shock his head. He was never going to understand this girl, no matter how much time they spent together. This he realised was not a bad thing really. It made things more interesting.

"Did you not hear anything I said. They haven't gotten in touch for ages, now they write and expect us to drop everything to go to them." He was about to point out that she had been quite happy to leave the air temp, but decided it was best to say nothing. " Plus you could do with a bit more exercise. You rely on Appa to much."

"Are you calling me fat." He tried to make his voice sound as hurt as he could.

"You sound like Suki when she was about to burst, Sokka couldn't say anything right." Toph was softly laughing under her breath. Aang felt a shudder go down his spine, as an image crossed his mind "What's wrong now." Toph stopped in her tracks. A crocked smile still on her face.

"I was just thinking of how scary you would be if you were pregnant." Aang as he normally was, was rewarded with his honesty, by getting a flight 8 feet in the air, and a rough landing. He knew that he shouldn't have said that the second the words came out. No matter that they were friends, had known each other for years, and spent a lot of time together over the last year. There were still cretin things that a man should not say to woman that he isn't married to.

"Ok that I desired." His voice was a little weak, as he pulled himself up. Toph was by his side, looking down on him smiling. Once on his feet they started to walk again. The didn't say anything for a while. He wanted to brake the silence, the best way of doing that was to make her laugh, soften her up a little. This he knew from past experience could be achieved very well by making a fool of himself. As it was just the two of them walking along this dusty highway, he didn't mind so much.

"Do you really think I'm out of shape."

Toph pursed her lips, like she was thinking hard over her answer. He knew she already had her smart remark already. This was just for show. "Well, it's not your fault. It's not like you having fighting nearly a whole nation to give you some prober exercise any-more." She was trying to make her voice sound as flip as she could, but the laugher she was holding back sept in a little.

"I may not be as big as Zuko, but I'm bigger then I used to be." Aang knew he started this, as a way of braking the silence. Now however he was getting a little worried. What if she was finding this so funny, because it was try. What if he still looked like a scrawny little kid.

Looking overly muscular, was something he never thought about, or worked for. He knew however that he was in better shape than most people, and was proud of it. It was also something he was little sensitive about. He was always the youngest and smallest of himself Sokka and Zuko. He was the same height as Zuko now, Sokka was taller, but he was in better shape than him. This fact made him feel like he wasn't a little kid any more.

He looked over at Toph walking by his side. She was still shorter than Katara and Suki. Suki from the last time he had seen her was most defiantly a grown women now, Katara had always been a little womanly for her age. In contrast Toph was still very petite in always. He guessed that she must feel like he did, about feeling like a little child compared to their friends.

He suddenly stopped, and lifted his right arm, bending it at the elbow. To make his muscles look there most impressive. "Come on tell me I'm out of shape." He was doing this to keep the conversation going, and also now to confirm to himself he had grown up.

Toph turned to face him. She rolled her eyes, as she walked over to him. "You do know I'm blind right."

"I'm course." It had really slipped his mind again. He took her right hand in his free left hand, and lifted it, placing it on his right bicep. His eyes lowered to see her hand on his arm. He then noticed, from this angle Toph wasn't was petite in very way as she used to be.

Toph's eyes contiuned to drift from side to side. Despite being blind her eyes only did this when she was disinterested. Her eyes would normally stay focused in right in-front of her. "Well done twinkles, you have filled out. Is that what you want to be a meat head lik..."

"No. I just..."

Toph started to laugh ending this rather odd and slightly awkward conversation for good. As she walked on again. Her head was tilted away from him. For a reason she didn't quite understand, she felt a like uncomfortable knowing that Aang was now really a grown man. She still thought of him as a wimp little kid. A sudden awkwardness of he own growth hit her, making her hunch over a little.

After a few steps she stopped, Her face set like stone now. She help out her arm out in front of Aang, her hand resting on his chest. "I think we're going to have company soon."

There had been rumours of a rebellion in the fire nation for almost two year, since Zuko became fire lord. Zuko and Aang where the first to be made aware of it from the group. It wasn't a big treat so no one else was told. Toph had been brought into it as she had to stop an attack on Zuko's life when she had been her last year for a meeting. This was before she started to travelling with again. At that time the rebellion had consisted of just over twenty people. Rather pitiful she had thought. Now their was only six reported members left. That didn't mean that they could have gained new members in the last year.

She was sure it was on of them. There was no mistaking it. She had caused one of remaining members to pull his tendon in his left leg. That kind of injure heals, but never fully goes away, she knew it was him. What she didn't know was why they would be here, so close to the fire nation capital. Were they planing other attack against Zuko, were they that stupid to try something like that. A crocked smile crossed her face. Her and the rest of the gang must have been called stupid when they started to make there attack on the palace in Ba Sing Sa. They had succeeded however. It would be dangerous to underestimate there men.

Toph and Aang took up their position automatically, back to back "so what will it be this time. The classic heaven and earth storm, mud wall." as she spoke the last part she changed her stance. "Or the newest ash wave." Again change her stance. There was a energy in her voice, and anticipations for what was to come that Aang hadn't heard from her in a long time. She had always liked a good fight. He guessed the ones he had given her recently weren't good enough.

In the time they had been travelling together, Aang and Toph had come up with a few bending moves. These came about when they had been board and started to talk about how you could comping two elements into one attack. The heaven and earth storm was the strongest they came up with, as they where bending there natural elements. The move consisted of Aang creating a small tornado, that brought the earth up. Toph then took control of the loose earth. Then she would send it out towards the opponent, who couldn't get any where near them. They created a defensive wall around themselves that couldn't be gotten through. At lest not with out getting beaten up badly in return.

The mud wall. Was the combination of water and earth. Aang would bend water out of their canteens, spreading it out onto the ground around them making the ground turn to mud. They then bent the newly formed mud into a wall around them. Then Toph bent spikes out from the wall, that where sent out to the opponents.

Fire and earth was intermixed to form the ash wave. Toph would bend an earth whip, and Aang an fire whip. These would be bent in-sync creating ash that would fall to the ground. where Toph would then take control of it. Bending it out in waves at the opponent, wrapping it around the,, trapping them. While Aang took over the bending of both elemental whips. Forcing their opponent in to the way of the waves of ash.

All of these moves came down to creating a defensive distance between them and the opponent. This was down to Aang. Toph had thought of a number of more powerful attacks, that he didn't like the idea off. He was an earthbender, waterbender and firebender, but a heart he was always going to be an airbender, and now he was also trying to be a monk too. It just wasn't in him to come up with attacks that could cause a lot of damage., even if it was all hypothetical.

"How about the heaven and earth storm." He took his stance now.

"Can't beat a classic." Toph returned to her first stance."10, 9, 8"

"I can see them you not have to count down."

"Your hearts racing, are you ready for this."

Aang nodded.

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**Thank you for reading. Sorry it a shortish chapter, and not very good. The attacks aren't very good, and the dialogue. It just couldn't think of what to change it too. The next one will be better, the whole story well be better. Please don't let this bad chapter but you off the story. I hope you like it, and will be nice enough to review. **


	5. Chapter 5

By the time they had finished talking, the rebels where with in range. Aang could see the six figures getting closer. Once they got close enough to tell who they where about to run into, they could make a move. He and Toph had to be ready to make their move first. Aang started the small tornado. He was putting more effort into it than he normally did. He didn't want to drag this out any longer than it had to be. Once enough earth was brought up Toph sent it out, she made two direct hits. Leavening four reaming.

"Spilt." As soon as he spoke Aang redirected the air towards the two rebels on his side.

Toph charged towards her opponents as she did one of them bent a large wall of fire towards her. She didn't feel it coming towards her till all she had time to do was pull up a wall. She waited while the wall took the brunt of the attack. Carefully she walked towards it, she lightly placed a hand on it. Making sure it wasn't to hot, and still mainly in tacked. Again she waited, waited for them to get closer. When they where, she stepped back, then ran at the wall, stepping onto it and running up to its centre. Once she was at the centre she punched it with all of her strength. The wall then collapsed on top of the rebels.

_That was too essay._

Toph fell down to the ground with the rocks, landing perfectly on her feet. She lifted herself up fully, while she focused on what was going on with Aang, but she couldn't see him. He was in the air. The air current he was bending to keep him air-born was also causing a lot of loose rocks and other pieces of earth to be sent out at the rebels he was holding back. From up there he could see the area their were fighting in better. The mounds of earth some how looked sharper and more dangerous from up there.

Once he thought he had held them back long enough, Aang made this move. He stopped bending the air, that kept him elevated. He came speeding towards the ground at a great speed. Due to the air he was bending to speed him up. When he hit the earth, he did it with such force that the earth didn't just shake. Instead it moved into a ripping effect going out from his landing place, like large shock waves of earth. The two rebels he was dealing with were knocked off their feet.

She had tried to brace herself as best as she could, once she felt the start of the shock waves. Toph however was also knocked over. After the earth had settled, she began to pull herself back onto her feet. She was about to tell Aang that she was a little impresses by this show of force, but she didn't get the chance.

She heard him call her name, just before she was hit with a strong current of air on her left shoulder. Which knocked her back down to the ground. On the ground she felt the vibrations of one of the rebels she had dropped the wall onto. He had managed to get out. He was stronger than she thought. She felt him standing in a odd stance. He must have been about to attack her from behind, when Aang knocked her out of the wall. She was grateful, but was also sure that there could have been less painful ways to warn her about the incoming attack.

She was just about to try and stand again when she felt the rebel move. He bent a large fire fall towards Aang. Aang rather stupidly, she though choose to counter this with another firer ball. The attacked met a few feet in-front of Toph. She was forced to lie on the ground fully again, and cover her head with her hands.

"Toph." She was still lying, huddled up on the ground. She could hear the worry in his voice. She lifted her head a little giving him a nod of reassurance, that she was unhurt. "Don't try and move yet."

Her head was now lifted up fully. "Just don't fight fire with fire any-more and I'll be fine."

A smile speed across Aang's face, just before he moved into a different stance. Lifting his arms and stretching then out at his sides. He made sure Toph was still lying down, out of the way. Then he quickly brought his hands together. As he did this, Two strong air currents, one from the left and on from the right speed towards each other. The rebel was standing right in their path. He was just able to duck out of the attack. When the air had settled, he moved to quickly stand up, his arms ready to bend another fire ball at Aang.

Before he was able to do this, his right leg, that he moved onto first was pulled out from under him. Causing him, to fall front side first onto the ground. He slowly tilted his head up. Looking in-front of himself he saw a trail of raised earth. which he as he followed to it's source he saw a now standing Toph. Lowering her arms back to her sides. His head quickly feel back onto the ground then.

"You draw things out for to long." Toph turned her head to face Aang while she spoke.

She then pulled her full canteen of water from her belt. Opened it, and spun round to face Aang. The water spilled out from the canteen as she did this. Aang realising what she was doing, reached out his right hand, to take control of the water. He then spun round, bending a water whip with him as he did. One of the rebels that he had knocked over had gotten up and was walking toward them. Toph had felt his vibrations. She had ducked to the ground, after she had spun round, making sure she didn't get hit by the water whip. As Aang was bending it fully around himself.

He then also lowered himself to the ground. At the same moment as Toph Jumped to her feet. "Hold on." Her hands quickly went out in-front of her. They trembled slightly with the tension that was caused by the bending of the earth under their feet to shack like a localised earthquake. Aang dug his hands into the earth, to keep him from falling over. One of the rebels Aang held back, feel to the ground. He didn't make any attempt to get up. The other kept running as fast as he could. He lost his balance a few times, but kept on running. Toph had to give him credit for that.

Bringing her arms back down to her sides, she brought the tremors of the earth to an end. Out of the six rebels they had met. Two had been taken out by their first hit. One had come to a while ago and helped his friend to retreat. One still lay under the rubble of the wall Toph had pulled up and knocked down. One had made a mad dash for freedom. The other two lay knocked out, one behind Toph the other in-front of Aang. Aang stood up, looking over at Toph as he did. She felt his eyes on her. Knowing the question he was asking her, without having to say it. She gave an nod as answer.

With that he launched himself into the air. He knew that the three rebels with them were knocked out. So he was going after the one that ran away. He wanted to know what this had all been about. What had they been trying to do. The air was being bent around him as he moved through the air. Just after a few seconds he had passed over the rebel that had been knocked out by Toph's earthquake. They then came too. Pulled themselves to their feet and ran after their friend getting away.

Toph was about to bent one of the rocks from the wall she had bent, to knock over the second escaping rebel. Before she could, she spun round, and bent one of the rocks up to cover her. Fire hit the rock and raged past it. Toph had learned her lesson, from her first encounter with Zuko. She stood as close to the rock as she could, hands placed on it, keeping it together. Once the fire had gone, she sent to the rock speeding toward the now conscious rebel she thought had been knocked out by having his leg pulled out from under him. The rock hit him right in the stomach, and carried him back a few feet. Where he stopped. Out good for good this time. At least long enough to have him restrained.

Aang had slowly himself down as he saw the second rebel running away from him. Before he could bend an air swipe or anything else at either of them, the second one stopped and turned. He bent a large fire ball at Aang. Aang didn't have enough time to block the attack fully. He was to busy bending the air to keep him in the levitated. All he could down now was lift his hands to cover his face, and take to hit as best as he could.

He was hit in the stomach, severely winding him. The air that he had been bending caused him to be sent backwards at a much greater speed. Sending him towards a large, sharp mound of earth.

Toph didn't see him get hit but she felt the retreating rebel send out a fire ball, at what she assumed was Aang. Who, or what else could it have been he was aiming for. She then felt a change in the air, it was displaced, speeding towards her. This could only have one meaning, he had been hit. He was also heading towards a mound of earth. Before she had a chance to think things through, she was acting on the first thing that came to her. The only thing that made any sense, the only thing she could do.

She used the ground under her to send her up into the air. She didn't know if she would be able to catch him, or what she would, could do if she did, but she had to do something. She couldn't just stand there and wait to feel him smash into an mound of earth. He was a wimpy airbender, he couldn't take that kind of hit. She wasn't so sure she could either, if their places where switched. If their places were switched, he could help her, she knew that for sure. So she had to do something. Sometimes though her tendency to act first without thinking could be a real pain, get her into a lot of trouble.

She felt the air in-front of her moving faster, she hoped it was the path Aang was on. She reached out, hoping to find something to hold onto. She found an arm. She grabbing hold of it with all the strength that she had. Then she reached her other hand out, taking hold of his robe. She pulled him towards her, her arms wrapping around his waist. Toph felt the air current stopping a little behind her. The mound of earth was getting closer. There wasn't any time for ether of them to do anything. They slammed hard into the mound Toph took most of the impact.

They crashed down to the ground. Toph was out cold, and Aang was still winded from the fire ball to the stomach and knocking into the mound of earth. He felt the world spinning around him as he tried to pull himself up. He tried to focus on one spot to steady him. When he did this he saw the remaining rebel started to make his way towards them, to finish the job.

_That really was too essay._

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**Hope you liked it. This is the 99th chapter. So I tried to mack it as interesting as I could. Also to leave it with a cliffhanger, so you would want to read the 100th chapter. **

**The move that Toph uses to knock over the rebel Aang was fight, was meant to be the same move that she used on the boulder, to move him into the splits. I didn't know how best to describe it, so I hope it made sense. **


	6. Chapter 6

Aang knew three things for sure. Firstly the firebender was coming towards himself and Toph rather quickly. Secondly, she was still out cold. Only the slight rising and fall of her back, as she lay on her side, told him that she was still breathing. Thirdly and lastly, was that when they had hit the mound of earth they had caused the earth to come lose. Meaning it was going to fall on top of them at any minute. Realising all of this, he let out a faint sigh. Things had started out so well for them.

He couldn't stop the earth from falling, and block the attack that he saw that the firebender was preparing to throw at them. He had to make a choice. He could bend the earth from falling on them, this meant having to take the hit from the rebel, now getting very close. The other choice was to let the earth fall on them. This at least would give them cover from the rebels attack, if the earth fell fast enough. This seemed like the best opposition, he was sure that he could take that kind of hit better than a hit from the rebel. The problem was could Toph.

He finally made his choice. As the earth came loose and started to speed down onto them, and the firebender bent a large fire ball right towards him. He glanced at Toph's still body next to him, for a second, that was all he needed to know what to do. He would take the hit as best he could, from the firebender. What was most important to him now was protecting Toph. She took a hit for him, when she didn't have to. Now it was his turn, to do the same for her.

Once in his stance, hands held above his head, he closed his eyes preparing himself, for the hit he knew was coming. It never did.

Aang slowly opened his eyes, he didn't see the firebender, instead he saw an earth spike where he was sure he had been standing. He then looked to his right, and saw Toph getting to her feet, very slowly. Her face seemed drained, whiter than normal. "How many times do I have to tell you, I don't need anyone to take care of me."

He bent the earth he was holding in place out in-front of them, then pulled himself up. As she pulled herself fully up to stand by his side, he felt a smile cross his face. "I'll take that as a thank you... Thanks Toph."

Toph slightly let herself lean onto his shoulder, helping her stay on her feet. A look of annoyance was plastered on her face. She never liked it when anyone pointed out that she did in fact have a soft side. That she cared about people. Her face slowly changed, she was focusing on something a little way off. "You take him, I'll get the other one."

Before he could say anything to stop her, she was on her way. In the distance he saw the figure of the rebel that had runaway. He must have come back to see what was happening. His eyes feel on the ground in-front of him. The rebel that Toph hit with an earth spike was pulling himself up. His eyes went back to Toph as she got closer to the rebel she was heading towards. He had to pull his eyes from her, to focus on the firebender he had to deal with.

Toph bent the earth under her feet into a small earth wave. The rebel she was after, turned and ran back the way he had come, when he saw her coming towards him. Bending the earth wave was more effort than it normally was, but she pushed on. She speeded it up, changed direction so she could cut right into his path. As she did this, he stopped, and stumbled back a few steppes, pulling out his sword as he did. He was an non-bender after all. She brought the earth wave to a end, and jumped onto the firm ground.

Once on sold ground she was able to get a good look at him. "You."

She knew who he was, she very expected she would see him again. He was the guy that she had helped almost a year ago. He had been in the earth kingdom with a friend, he had had a bad fall, and hurt his leg. To deal with the pain he had taken medicine that he had made himself. He didn't really know what he was doing, so the medicine he had made was poisonous. Toph had had to make an antidote, and heal the bones in his leg.

Her mind told her to move forward, to strike, but her body wouldn't move. What was he doing here. He had seemed like a nice person, how did he get caught up in a group like this. She remembered his name. Uragiri, he took great pride in telling her his name. What it meant. Betrayal, now she was wondering if he was trying to live up to his namesake. Making him seem interesting and dangerous like he had wanted. He mind tugged at her, to thing about the nature of names. How they shaped who we will be. Her name, as chosen by her mother, with a secret meaning, had in its own way shaped her. She put a end to this train of thought, she had to focus on the world around her, not her head now.

Aang was having an easier time. His opponent wasn't putting up much of a fight. He was really just trying to get away. The earth spike had knocked the wind out of him,mush like the fire ball he had bent at Aang had done to him. With his comrades also gone, all he wanted to do was get always. Have some time to regroup.

Aang maintained his distance, blocking all the attacks that were thrown at him, waiting for the right time to make the final strike. Knocking his opponent out. Firebending was based on attacking, and airbending was based on depending. This fight could go on for a long time. He glanced over at Toph. She seemed to have frozen to the spot. He was forced to look back at his opponent, as he bent another fire ball at him, and he moved to block it.

Toph's opponent was now pointing his sword at her. She was mentally kicking herself for taking on the non-bender, even thou she had a way to deal with hand to hand combat, she would always be at a disadvantage if they got to close, and this guy was very close to making her worry, about how close he was.

The only thing she could think of to do was to try and reason with him, she was much better at beating her opponents to a pulp, but if she had to she could be very persuasive."You don't have to do this, just put your sword down." She used her most gentle tone, the one she learned from Katara. It felt so fake coming from her. She hoped he couldn't tell.

His heart rate was so fast, it was clear to Toph he was scared, he really didn't want to be in this situation, any more than she did. "I do princess Toph." Toph could feel her eyes rolling to the back of her head, as he called her that.

She hadn't been called that in a very long time. Even then it was only once, on the morning of her almost political wedding to Zuko. The lord who called her that had been trying to kiss up to her. Despite this, though the fire nation had taken a very strong liking to her. She never understood, or liked it. She had never been one for praise that she didn't feel she had earned.

She dropped her shoulder, release the tension in her body, as she relaxed and moved towards him slowly. "You're not going to kill me, or anyone else. You can't." Her tone was more definite now, but still gentle.

His hand was shacking. This was more evident by the wobbling sword. "How do you know that." He was trying to get some strength into his voice, she wasn't fooled. He was scared, very scared. He almost sounded like he was begging for her answer, like he needed to know what she would say.

"When you intend to kill someone, your heart rate in steady, calm, focused. Yours is about to burst through your chest. You're not the kind of person who can take a life."

"How do you know I haven't already killed some..."

"You haven't. I can tell. Just put the sword down now." This would be so much simpler if she could beat him to a pulp. She couldn't risk that, this time. He had a sword, and her head was starting to throb, from hitting the mound of earth. She would have to be clear headed to get past a sword, and she wasn't now. She had to play this in a very different way than she was used to.

Aang's opponent was getting further away, as Aang forced him back. He looked around for his remaining comrade wanting to make their get away as fast as possible. When he caught sight of him, he called out to him. "Uragiri." He wanted to get him to finish off the earthbender. So they could get away. He hadn't been expecting to have to face the avatar and his earthbening master, the princess Toph. He was not prepared for that.

Toph for a reason unknown to herself, turned to face where the voice had come from. She wanted to see how Aang was getting on maybe. While she turned back, Uragiri lunged forward, running Toph through with his sword. It happened so fast, she didn't fully understand what had just happened at first. The confusion, gave way to hurt, fear and betrayal.

The sword, entered her on the right side, just under her ribs. The pain was hot and sharp, juts like in her resent nightmares. This time though, she didn't scream out in pain, she was to shocked to. A sharp intake of breath was the only sound she made. Her head started to spin more, as her legs threatened to give out under her.

"Sorry." She almost couldn't hear him, his voice was low and masked by the sounds of his sobbing. Large ugly tears streamed down his face. With the sleeve on the hand that still held the sword, he whipped his nose.

Aang had turned to look at Uragiri, when his name had been called. Once this head was turned to face them, everything turned into slow-motion. He saw Uragiri lunge forward, with his then unused sword. The sword make contact with Toph. Causing her to freeze. Once it was pulled back, coverer in blood, her blood, her hands slowly began to move up to the wound. The world started to move again then. Uragiri, threw the sword to the ground, and ran away. Toph's hands started to shack more, as they moved closer to the wound.

It was like a nightmare. The one he had before the day of black sun. In that she had sunk into the ground, and there was nothing he could do to help, like now. He felt his anger building up inside him. It was making his hands tremble, more than Toph's were. He dared not look at her face. In the corner of his eye he saw it though. She looked in total shock, eyes darting all around her, not focusing on anything. There was little colour left in her normally painfully pale face.

He couldn't let this person get away with this. Hurting someone he cared about. He always felt that it was his fault if anything ever happened to any of his friends. They were helping him, it was because of him they were involved in all of this. He felt this the most with Toph. He had almost begged her to come with them, be his teacher. She wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him. She might not be hurt,dyeing or dead if it wasn't for him.

White noise rang in his ears, as he lost all focus on what was going on around him. Everything seemed to fade away. All that was left was anger. Everything else was just numb. He didn't hear the screaming and yelling of the rebel he had faced, as he too ran off after his friend. Nor the wind rushing passed him. He also didn't feel the pain in his hands, as he clenched them so tightly, he drew blood.

Toph was trying to maintain control, to stay on her feet. Her hand was now pressed on the wound. She felt the blood continuing to pour, trickling through her finger. No matter how much pressure she tried to apply, it still came. She was loosing her contact with the earth. It was like she was standing on ice or wood blocking her sight, but she wasn't. She was standing on hard, firm, familiar earth. Yet she felt so vulnerable, helpless. She had never felt like this before. Not even when she had been hanging over the side of an air ship. She had had a hand to hold on to them, something to tether her to the world. Now she felt alone in a endless void.

She hated herself, but she wanted to call out for Aang. For him to hug her or just hold her hand. The wind was getting stronger, as her breathing got harder. She couldn't see or feel him, but in her heart she knew what was happening, and that caused it to almost break. She didn't want him to do this, not over her.

"Aang." Her voice was so faint, that she wasn't even sure she had said it.

She finally fell to the earth, as Aang rose into the air.

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**I wasn't sure if I should stop at this point, or go on a bit, but I thought this was good way to end a chapter. Especially as this is the 100th chapter of the story over all. It needed to have something important happen, and have a cliffhanger so you would want to read the next chapter. **

**I should point out that if you have read the other parts of the story, then there was a little hit for this chapter in the last part of the story. The nightmare that Toph had in the last part was a hint to her getting stabbed in this part.**

**Please review. Thanks for reading. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you for reading, I hope you like this chapter. I still can't believe that I have written, or more accurately, rewritten one hundred chapter, and I am only half through the whole story. **

**I know that people are reading the story and that is great. It just feels like there is a real lack of interest in the story, most of the time. Then I feel like is there any point in going on. I see story's that have hundreds of reviews. I have friends that write here too, and they have readers that also PM them, just to talk about the story. Now I am not asking any one to review if they don't want to or PM or anything. I just felt that I should point out that, while I do want to keep writing the story, I do feel at times that there is no point. As I feel like not a lot of people care, and as much as I am written for myself, I am also writing for you all. Therefore there maybe times when it will be a bit of a gap between chapters. This doesn't mean that I have stopped writing, just that I need a bit of time to feel like there is a point to going on. **

**Sorry for going on, I just thought I should explain why there may be times when I don't up-date as often. I will finish the story, however long it takes me. So on with the story . **

**To enjoy this chapter more please listen to hanging by a moment by lifehouse. The fact that the song say, falling more in love, doesn't mean that Aang is in love with Toph. It is more a friends kind of love. **

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Aang continued to rise into the air. The air he bent began to move the earth around him as well. He wasn't concentrating on any of this, as he wasn't focusing on what was happening around him. All that was going through his mind, all that he was aware of were memoires of Toph. The first time he had seen her, in the swamp. Then in the earth rumble. She seemed like two different people. The more he got to know her the more he realise that it wasn't two different people, it was just another side to who she was. The heir to the Bei Fong family, and the blind bandit were one and the same. More alike really than she would want them to be.

Not long ago she had said that her and himself were more alike than they had first thought. He never fully understood that. He had wanted to ask her what she meant by that, but he hadn't had the chance. Now maybe he never would. He badly wanted to know the answer now.

His mind didn't go to happy memoires, sandbending on Ember Island, the dance party. Instead they went to, the last glimpse he had of her before he went into the drill, leavening her to deal with the outside on her own. The way he yelled at her, after Appa was taken. Seeing how weak and beaten she was after the final battle. The memory that flashed in his mind the most was the look on her face when he had slapped her in Ba Sing Sa. It was a look of shock and hurt, and the worst, embarrassment. She had been more embarrassed that he had hit her, then she was mad at him for doing it in the first place. Then the events that had just happened came to his mind.

The anger burned from him, causing the very air to burn with its fury. The earth that was being swept around him, too start to burn to ash. The air became stronger as it moved faster and with more force behind it. If it went on much longer then it would be strong enough to cut through the mounds of earth that scattered the area. He didn't see or really feel any of this. He didn't care about any of it, didn't think of the damage he was doing. All he cared about was Toph. The thoughts of her in his mind were all that he saw and felt.

"Aang" He could hear her voice in his mind. It seemed to be pleading with him to stop. This low voice, was the only thing that reached him. Through the burning earth, and screaming wind. It was all he heard.

Slowly he started to feel the world around him. He felt the heat, rising steadily. He very slightly became more aware of the air around him. It seemed to be contained around him, forced back into an area. It wasn't reaching as far as it should have been, as it had been.

"Y_ou have to learn to focus your anger into your bending. If you just let it control you, you are going to lose control of the fight."_ Her voice was clear, as if she was standing next to him like when she had said it to him. Not like her voice a minute ago, when he was sure she had called out to him. This had been the last piece of training she had given him, before he had faced the fire lord. It was still as true now, maybe more so.

He started to calm down, he concentrated on his breathing. He slowly began to descend to the cold hard ground. When he landed, he opened his eyes, finally able to see what was around him. He didn't see the sunlight, like he expected. It was blocked out by a dome of earth. That had been built up around him, and a small part of the surrounding area. In a second he turned to where he knew Toph had fallen.

He had to strain to she her in the dark of the dome. It then started to slowly fall back into the earth. He could finally see her. She was leaning agents a rock. Her right arm was bent slightly above her head, the left was pressed tightly agents her stomach. Not that it was doing any good. It was now covered in blood, her green tunic also had changed colour. He was sure he saw a faint smile, and look of relief on her face. That hurt him more than seeing her in pain. She had been more worried about him, than she had been about herself. Now she was bleeding heavily, in a bad way, but she was happy to know he was ok.

Before her arm dropped, taking the rest of the dome with it to sink back into the earth it came from. Aang was at her side, catching her before she too sank onto the earth. He lifted her head up with his right hand, his left crossed over her red stomach holding her at the waist. She was covered in tiny cuts, and faint burns. He had done that. The dome had kept all of his power contained, causing the hot ash and earth to move around it at a faster speed. She had been hurt by the debris caused by his lack of control. Her heart beat was slow and faint, but it was there.

Despite the sun he felt like ice, his whole body was shacking. He noticed his right hand was the coldest part of his body. He slid Toph's head along his arm, to rest at his bent elbow. His blood turned to ice when he saw his hand, it was red. Blood was meant to be warm, but he had never felt anything so cold, not even ice. The ice in his body stopping him from moving.

She must have hit her head, when she crashed into the mound of earth. He remember how white and drained her face had looked before they split up. He lowered her onto the ground very carefully. Like she herself was ice that would break at the slightest touch. He ribbed of a strip of material from his robe, then ribbed that in two. He tied one around her head, and the other around her stomach. The orange robe was red in a few seconds. It was like trying to stop a waterfall with a pebble.

He wanted to say something, in case she could hear him. Something to let her know he was there, he wouldn't leave her, that he would make sure she was going to be ok. She would have hated that. She liked people to just get to the point. So he stayed quiet. There was nothing he could say that she would want to her. Because she would want the truth, and the truth he couldn't bring himself to say or even think about.

He blamed himself for all of this. She wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him. If he had never came into her life, she would be safe. He tried to think about what his life would be like if she wasn't in it. If he hadn't found her at the earth rumble, then followed her to her house. These thoughts only lasted for a few seconds, because he couldn't think seriously about a life without her, without any of his friends. It was selfish, but he didn't want to think about life without his friends. Even if they would have been better off without him.

He placed her hands onto her stomach, resting on the wound. He then slipped his right arm under her head again, and the left under her knees. He then pulled himself to his feet. Taking his time as not to move her around to much. He tried to take a step forward, but his legs couldn't move. He had been running on adrenaline the whole time now he was spent.

He looked at her face, she didn't look like Toph at all, all the life had gone out of her. There was no colour in her face. He closed his eyes. As he did a tear fell, he hadn't realised that the tears had been building up this whole time.

"_You've got the stuff twinkles._" Her voice rang in his ears.

She had always been the strong one. She tried to teach him to be strong. as so many people depended on him. She never had though, she had always gone her own way, never shared her burdens. She helped him cares his as-well as her own, she still did. Now he had to be strong for her. He moved his legs, one step after the other. They were about less than an hour from the fire nation capital. He didn't have the energy to use bending to get them there any faster. He was going to have to do it the hard way, one steady step at a time.

He mental cursed her for wanting to walk the last few miles to surprise Zuko and Katara. One look down at her and he cursed himself for thinking like that. It then dawned on him that that is exactly what Toph would have been thinking, if she was in his place. She would be blaming him. That gave him some comfort. He had learned from her. This also made this all seem worse too. She had always been so spirited, quick to act, strong. Now seeing her like this, the contrast was extreme, so he looked at her, and the person he knew was nowhere to be seen. He had never seen her or anyone look so frail and weak. He realised that he was starting to think of her as already being dead. She wasn't, there was still hope.

He made a promise to himself on that long walk to the gates of the fire nation capital. That if she made it then he would never let anything like this happen to her or anyone he cared about again. He didn't care what he had to do to keep that promise. If he had to go against the beliefs that the nomads had given him, then so be it. He was never going to lose another friend.


	8. Chapter 8

Zuko was looking out at the sun set over the city. He found himself straining his eyes, to see the sea at at the edge of the city. He liked to watch the sun rise and set like this. It gave him a feeling of peace, like all firebenders he was connected to the sun. watching it like this made him feel more connected to the firbenders that had come before him, closer to his ancestors. For some reason he didn't feel the overwhelming calm or peaceful now. He had a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that something was not right. There was an imbalance somewhere and he didn't know where.

"They said they wouldn't be here for another two days." Katara walked over to join him by the window. She stopped behind him, and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her chin on his shoulder. "You can let yourself rest sometimes you know."

"This is Toph we are talking about." He cocked his head round to face her. She closed the space between them to kiss him. She choose to let the fact that he was ignoring what else she had said. She was used to that now. There was nothing she had yet to come across that could get Zuko to take a break, and she had tried a lot.

"Still, they wouldn't come this late in the day." Her arms that still wrapped around his waist, now pulled him a little closer. Not that there was much space left between then in the first place.

"Again this is Toph we're talking about."

He too now wrapped his arms a little tighter around her. Resting his chin on the top of her. She was almost to tall for him to do this. She knew this too, and would tilted her head down so that he could rest his head in place. She didn't let herself think about why he liked to hold her like that. Thoughts of Mai, and maybe even Toph being held in that comforting, close way always gave her an uneasy feeling. It wasn't from jealousy. She had had a life before him to. It was simply that he was hers now, no one else's. No matter how possessive that sounded it was that truth. The fact that he felt the same about her, was also simply the truth and it didn't bother her at all. They were each others in a way that they weren't to anyone else. That was what love was.

"I just hope they get here soon, I can't wait to tell them all."

"Me either." He spoke softly, than he kissed the top of her head.

It had never been a secret to any one that Katara and Zuko had feelings for each other. Even at first when they had seen each other as enemies, there had always been something there. Even Aang who was the last to really see what was going on, had been aware of something enough to feel a little Jealous of Zuko, when he returned Katara's mothers necklace to her. It was the fact that they where the opposite of each other, yet so similar. That made them work so well together. They had tried to be happy with Mai and Aang, but they were drawn to each other. Since Aang's return they found themselves feeling more drawn together, seeing more of each other. It wasn't long before they were a real couple.

Zuko had proposed to her a week ago, he used the ring that his mother had given him. It wasn't the one that married her to his father, it was one that had been in her family for years. He also made her a pendent for her mother's necklace, that had the fire nation symbol engraved on it. She now wore it with the water nation pendent, with just as much pride.

Slowly Katara lifted her chin to rest on Zuko's shoulder. Out of the corner of her eye, walking towards the side gate of the palace she saw something. "what's that."

Zuko spun round to see what she was looking at. It took him a few seconds to make out the figure she was talking about. "I think it's them." His voice sounded a little unsure. Regardless, he pulled away and started to leave. Katara followed after a feeling of dread suddenly came over her. Though she couldn't see what she had to be worried about.

To reach the side gate they had to pass the stables. It was then that they saw Appa. They hadn't been able to be found when he had turned up. So the stable boy feed and watered him, before going home. Choosing to inform fire lord Zuko of the bison's arrival the next morning. It all started to make some sense to them now. Something had happened to Aang and Toph. That is what that uneasy feeling was about, and the sense of dread. They picked up their pace a little as the grew closer to the gate. They had shared a brief glance at the stable. An acknowledgement of what they both thought. The look on his face worried Katara, making her reach out for his hand.

Once they reached the gate, and saw what was coming towards them, they froze. It couldn't be real. What they saw had to be a dream. Katara's hold onto Zuko's hand became tighter as the figure she vaguely saw from the window in Zuko's study, got closer to them.

It was only when Aang fell to the ground, that their body's allowed them to move forward. Zuko ran to Toph's side. Aang still held her head up, but her legs lay on the ground. He scoped her into his strong arms. His face almost went as white as hers. He avoided looking Aang in the face, for a reason he didn't know. Katara bent over Aang, wrapping her arms around his neck, in a half hug. Then pulled him to his feet, and supported him as they followed Zuko and Toph forward to the palace.

"It's going to be ok." He couldn't hear her. She wasn't even sure if she was saying it to him or to herself, to reassure herself. She had never seen anyone look so close to death before, and this was her friend Toph. That was what gave her the tiniest bit of hope. If anyone was strong enough to come through this it was Toph. At least that was what she hoped.

Once inside the palace, Aang was helped into a bed in one of the guest rooms by a servant. Zuko stayed with him, once he had handed Toph over to the healers. He thought it was best if he stayed out of Katara and the healer's way. They were working on Toph in a room down the hall. He remembered that she had used that room before. When they had been engaged. It was the room underneath his, she had that one so they could speak to each other without the nobles over hearing. He tried to think back to how she looked on what was meant to be their wedding day. Anything to get the image he had of her now so cold, like death, but all he could think of was what she had looked like when he saw her a few minutes ago.

"Toph." Aang was talking in his sleep. From the look on his face Zuko could tell he must have been reliving what had happened. Zuko's heart went out to the room down the hall, to his soul mate, and his true love. Who was having to try and save the life of her friend who she thought of as a sister. His foot was tapping on the floor, causing a drumming sound to echo around the room.

Tears built up behind Katara's eyes, as she placed her healing water over Toph's stomach. Lucky none of the major organs had been damaged. The sword had managed to slip in between her liver and kidney, without damaging either. She had lost a lot of blood though that was the real worry. The wound to her head was what was the real problem. All they could do was heal it, bandaged it tightly, and hope it would heal on its own with no lasting damage.

As the first tear fell down her face, landing in the healing water, she heard Toph's voice clear as day "_Crying isn't going to do anyone any good."_

She had told her that when she found out that Zuko had told her about her birth mother. She had wanted to get Toph to open up, to let out her feelings. It wasn't till she heard about her fight with Azula, that she realised that Toph wasn't hiding her feelings because she saw it as a weakness to show them. It was because she had to. If she let her feelings, her anger out coupled with her bending skills and power she could do a lot of damage. She knew that feeling well. She had felt it when she learned bloodbending.

Once she had done all she could do, she finally looked at her friend's face. She brought up the memory of the first time they had meet. That is the image she saw, unlike Zuko and Aang she wasn't blinded by the sight of her so weak. She was so young, she still had so much to do, so much to realise about herself. She remembered the last time she had seen Toph. It had only been for a day, at the meeting of the four nations. Iroh had just died, and Toph and Aang had only started to mend their friendship. She saw then that they were falling for each other, that they themselves didn't see it let. Maybe she was reading more into it than was really there. The idea of them falling for each other would just make every thing perfect.

Toph had been there for all of them, in her own way. She tried to think of what they had done to be there for her. The only thing she could think of was that they helped her get away from her family. That seemed so little, but to Toph it meant more than anything. To her that one action was equal to all she had done for them.

Katara, once there was nothing left for her or the healers to do, signaled with her head for them to leave. As they did, she let herself fall back into the chair by the bed. She took a few minutes to get her breath back, and take in all that had happened. Less than an hour ago, she had been in the arms of her fiancé, happy. No problems, or worries in the world, now this. Carefully she pulled herself to her feet. Before she let her, she lifted Toph's arms, from lying by her sides, to resting on her chest. Her fingers ran over the bracelet that Aang had given her so long ago, but her eyes were caught by the new silver bracelet she wore. Not daring to look her in the face again, she left.

She was grateful that the room Aang was placed in was at the opposite end of the corridor. This gave her time to compose herself, plan what she was going to say to Zuko. Taking in a deep breath, she pulled the door open and walked in. Aang was lying in the bed, in the position Toph was in the other room. Zuko was in a chair in-front of the window. She walked over to him, knelling down in-front of him. So he couldn't avoid looking at her. She took his hand in hers.

"She'll be ok." Her voice was a little unconvincing.

Zuko's eyes finally met hers. "Are you sure."

"The wound to her chest isn't as bad as it looks. No internal damage was done. Her liver was nicked a little, but it will heal. It's the wound on the back of her head...there's a lot if swelling. I don't..." She couldn't go on. He knew had slipped his right hand from hers, so he could place it in the side her face. Swiping away the tear that was falling.

"I just don't know how this could happen." His voice saw going over her head. Like he was talking to himself, or the person in the bed behind her, that had all the answers.

"She was stabled, by a sword...I don't know about the wound to the head."

"I meant the scratches and burns. I can understand the rest, but that doesn't make any sense ...unless." He went silent not wanting to go on.

Placing her hand over his that still held her face, Katara stood up. "Unless what. What are you thinking."

Zuko took in a deep breath, moved back in the chair. "We can assume that they ran into the remaining rebels, that we knew where close by. She got stabbed by on of them. She could have hit her head in the fight too. The only thing I can think of is that, he lost his temper when she got hurt. Went into the avatar state, and that's were the scratches and burns came from."

"If you are right dose it matter. There only scratches and tiny burns. They'll heal in a day or two. What is important..." Zuko had heard her voice getting more panicked as she spoke. He quickly got to his feet, and wrapped his arms around her. She didn't sat any more, she just let herself be held.

He kissed the top of her head, like he had done earlier. "It's going to be ok." He hoped that he was convincing. He wanted her to believe that it would all be ok, that their friends would both get better. Even if he had his doubts.


	9. Chapter 9

Toph had been unconscious for the past five days. Aang wasn't much better. He had been awake on and off the whole time. Neither Katara or Zuko could get much sense from him on the occasions when he was awake, on what had happened. He would ask for Toph, mutter a few things about a sword, then fall back to sleep for the rest of the day. He made more sense when he was sleeping. He talked in his sleep as he no doubt lived through the events again. This was how Katara and Zuko came to find out what had happened to their friends.

The sun had set a long time ago, but still Zuko was awake. Neither he nor Katara could really get to sleep when they did try. She would go to look in on Aang, then she would try and get some rest, at Zuko's insistence. Zuko was seating in a chair by Toph's bed. He hadn't been able to go and see Aang, since he found out what had happened. That he had been right. A part of him, a rather large part, blamed Aang for letting this happen to Toph. He and Aang had made a promise to Iroh before he died that they would take care of Toph, he felt like he had let his uncle down.

He was looking at the cluttered bed side table, it was covered in bandages, and bottles of medicines. She still looked so white, like a doll he wasn't even sure that anything Katara and the healers had done had made any difference. He had heard Toph complain that her father treated her like a doll. Now he could understand why he saw her that way. That was what she looked like a limp, weak doll.

He heard the door creek open, to reveal Urse. As she entered the room he felt a feeling of calm wash over him. Like all of the group he had learned fast that the older generations don't have all the answers, but it still gave him a great deal of comfort to have his mother there with him. Urse made her way to the bed. "She really is the mirror of her mother. In fact she is the same age, her mother was when we first meet." As she spoke she brushed Toph's bangs out of her face. Then looked around her neck to see her mother's necklace still in place.

"Do you think she is going to d..."

"No she's strong." The tone in his voice let her know what he was going to say. He was going to ask if she thought Toph was going to end up like her mother. She turned to face him, and placed a supportive hand on his shoulder. "You need your rest, I'll stay with her."

Zuko had also learned fast that he should go along with what the women in his life said, if he wanted an easy life. He got to his feet slowly, as he past his mother he hugged her. It was move to reassure her, she thought of Toph as a daughter seeing her like this was hard, it also brought back memories of Toph's mother. Urse slipped into the chair Zuko had left. Her eyes never leaving the girl in the bed. She watched her hands placed on her chest rise and fall with her breathing.

"Sorry Adeline. I know your want to met her. You will love her, but I'm, we're not ready to lose her yet. You have to wait longer still. Sorry old friend."

Another two days went by before Aang finally came to fully. His first thought was off Toph. He couldn't remember what had happened how he got to the palace and all that had happened in the past week. He didn't even know if she was ok, she could be dead for all he knew. He grabbed his robe from the chair by his bed and ran out of the room.

As he ran around a corner on the corridor his room was on, he collided with someone. As he started to focus again, he realised that it was Katara that he had ran into. She had been caring a pile of blankets, that were now scattered around them over the floor. Seeing who had ran into her, she didn't give them another thought.

"Aang." Her arms stretched out, then wrapped around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug. "Are you ok"

He hugged her back, then pulled apart a little. "How is she." She had never seen that look of total fear in his face before, or the total seriousness in his voice.

A huge grin crossed her face. Happy that she could take away his fear. "Yes she is. She's been awake for a day now."

The same smile now spread across his face. In one movement he was on his feet and running down the corridor again. Not bothering to offer to help her up, or pick up the blankest. She didn't care though. He heard Katara's voice calling to him just before she stood up. "Last room on the right." He turned his head slightly to smile back at her, but her back was now to him.

He followed her directions. As he turned into the room, his heart dropped to the ground. The room was empty, and the bed was made up as if it had never been slept in. A hundred thoughts raced through his head. What if something had gone wrong, what if she had tried to get up to early. Before he could finish that thought he was brought back to the empty room, by a hand on his shoulder.

"She insisted on going to the garden, she said she needed to be outside. My mother went with her." Something in his tone told Aang that Zuko was hiding something.

"Is there something that you're not telling me." He turned to face his friend. The fear creeping back into his voice and eyes.

Zuko had wanted to hold his tough, for Toph's sake. She wouldn't want him fighting her battles for her, but he just couldn't. She was the little sister that he had always wanted. He would do anything to protect her from harm. He never thought he would have to do that against a friend though. "She got hurt because of you, then you make it worse by losing control." He could tell that Aang had no idea what he was stalking about."You talked a lot when you were out of it."

He started to piece together what had happened. He still couldn't remember being in the avatar sate. He remembered going into it though, and why. He remembered all to clearly how he was pulled out of it, and the damage he had done. "I have to see her." He didn't wait for Zuko to say anything, he just left.

As he made his way to the garden he stopped at a window, to see if he could see Toph and Urse. He couldn't. They had to be somewhere, but he had no idea where. The only place he could think of was her room, so he went back there. If it was still empty, he decided he would try and find Katara again, she would help him. He had never realised how large this palace was till now, and how similar all the corridors looked. He worried that if he didn't slow down he would lose his way.

As he feared, her room was still empty. He thought that maybe the best thing would be to stay here. Wait for her to come back, rather than keep running around. He had been told that she was fine. Even well enough to walk through the gardens, but till he saw her, alive, breathing he wouldn't let himself really believe it. He noticed the window in her room was closed, he walked over to it. Intending to opened it. Toph always liked to have windows open, when it was warm enough. It stopped her from feeling caged in.

once he opened the window, he rested his hands on the windowsill and leaned out a little letting the fresh air hit his face. Making him feel more awake, alive again. He closed his eyes for a second, calming himself down. When he opened them. He looked down at the garden. The flowers were still in bloom. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw two figures, dressed in red, walking very close beside each other. They had their backs to him as the walked further into the garden. He didn't need to see there faces to know for sure who one of them was. No one else he knew had hair that black.

His first instinct was to bend himself down from the window, but he didn't trust that he was up to that yet. Running again he left the room, and mad this way to the gardens. Like the palace it's self he found that he was getting lost the more he wondered around. He had set out to the place he had seen them from the window, but once there they were no where to be seen. He tried using seismic sense to find them, but he could focus enough.

After a good couple of minutes looking for anyone really, Aang admitted defeat and made his way to her room. This was the best place to wait for her. He just had to be patient, instead of running around. As he was about to turn onto the corner their rooms where on, he heard a voice " Hey. I've been looking for you." At first he wasn't sure if he was just hearing her voice again like he had done while in the avatar sate, but as he turned the corner there she was. She was leaning against the door frame, arms crossed. She was trying to act as if she wasn't in pain, but he could see in her eyes that she was. Despite that he ran toward her, wrapped his arms around her waist, picked her up, and spun her round.

"Aang, stop you're hurting me." Her words came out through faint laughs.

He froze, still holding her up."You called me Aang."

A very faint smile appeared on her face. "Ok. Twinkles if you don't put me down now, I will crush you. Is that better."He placed her very gently on the floor. He got a really good look at her, as he did. He felt like he was going to cry, at the relief of seeing her alive and ok. She could tell. "Don't you dear cry on me." After everything that happened she could still see right through him.

He finally let her go, slowly slipping his hands from her waist. she slowly made her way to the bed. She must he really tired after her walk. Aang was going to leave, she needed her rest. He'd leave her alone. He could talk to her tomorrow. Now that he had seen her for himself, he could stop worrying about her as much.

He was about to turn away, when she spoke "Stay." He made his way to sit in the chair by the bed, as Toph sat on the bed. "I don't blame you, so don't blame yourself. I am going to be fine so don't worry." Her voice was so slow, quiet, yet determined and sure, he had no choice but to believe her words.

He stayed with her till she fell asleep, which didn't take long. She made him tell her all that had happened while she had been out of it. There wasn't much for him to tell, so she drifted off to sleep. He moved to get up, go back to his room, but as he did something caught his eye. Her hands rested on her pillow by her head, as she slept on her side, facing him and the window. Her left hand, with the bracelet lord Toro had given her, was on top of her right hand. Where she wore the bracelet he gave her, making her grand master earthbender. As carefully as he could he pulled her right hand from under the left. Then placed it to top of the other hand. He meant to get up and go to another room, but he just couldn't get up. He fell asleep in the chair. Like Zuko, katara and Urse had all done at one time over the last few days. They stayed with her while she slept. As they were scared they would lose her. He stayed because he was glad to they hadn't lost her.

* * *

**just thought I would make it clear that Adeline, that Urse was talking to, is Toph's birth mother. She has only been called by her name once, so I thought I should make this clear. So it doesn't confuse anyone. The part with the bracelets at the end, is simply him putting his bracelet over Lord Toro's. Thanks for reading. **


	10. Chapter 10

Another five days had went by. Sokka and Suki came two days after Toph awake, like they were expected to. They didn't get the surprise they had been expecting. They were met instead with two very weak friends, and two worried ones. They also had a surprise of their own, one that was considerably more pleasant than the one they had been given. Suki was pregnant again. They had already had an 18th month old boy they name Suten. He was at the southern water tribe with his great gran gran, which was a good thing, as he had taken a instinct liking to Aang and Toph. He could only craw, but he always followed them around. Cried when they held him, then gave him back to his parents. This was all just under a year ago, but it wasn't very likely that he would act any differently with them now. Neither Aang nor Toph where in any conduction to deal with that much loving attention from an 18th month old.

Sokka and Suki had left again after only two days. Suki needed her rest at home, and so did Toph. Though she never admitted to this, it was clear she was still very weak. Zuko and Katara had decided to put their wedding off for a bit, so Toph, Who was Katara's maid of honour would be up to it. She had protested about this, but she didn't change their minds. Katara insisted that she wanted her maid of honour to be able to walk her to the alter without having to take a break. As she didn't believe Toph could do that now, they would have to wait.

It was Aang surprisingly that seemed the most affected by the past events. He was quite and distant. It was clear that he had something on his mind, but no one could get him to talk about it. Katara tried but gave up, not wanting to push him to much. Toph also tried, but found her tougher approach was making thinks worse and dropt it.

The night after Sokka and Suki had left, Aang went for a walk in the gardens of the palace. He need to get out, get some air. There was more to it than that though. He was planing something. He had been thinking about this since Toph woke up. He couldn't let this go, not this time. For some reason it kept nagging at him. He had always been able to rise above this kind of feeling in the past, he just couldn't this time.

"I should ask, where are you going, since I already now the answer to that. I'll move onto my next question. What the hell are you thinking."

Slowly he turned round to face the voice he knew all to well. He had been walking down the path that lead out of the side gate of the palace. That same gate he had carried Toph Though days ago. He wasn't surprised at what she said. He expected her to figure out what he was planing, he just expected her to do it sooner. "You nearly died. That is what I'm thinking."

"I'm perfectly aware of that. I have the scare to remind me." He saw a slight evil glint in her eyes now. "I have another scare as well don't I. Now how did I get that one, Aang."

"You think I'm not punishing myself for that."

A look of disappointment spread across her face now. "Do you think I want that. What happened was an accident. He never really meant to hurt me, neither did you. He just panicked." She felt his body relax a little, letting go of the tension. She finally became aware of the glider he was caring, as one end of it hit the ground. "He was the guy we met, when we were looking for Long feng. The one that hurt his leg..."

"You helped him, saved his life. Then when he sees you again, he stabs you. He doesn't deserve other chance." His voice was so cold, harsh. She had never heard it like that. It scared her, this wasn't the Aang she knew.

"Going after him. Killing him, that is going to make up for it." Her voice was clearly giving away how tired she was, but there was a steely strength to it. Toph stood on the same path as Aang in a thing red robe, freezing in the cold night air, looking right at him, begging him to think clearly.

He tried to think of the best way to explain to her why he was doing this. He was sure that she would understand, now he wasn't sure. "I'm tired of people getting hurt, and not being able to do anything about it..."

"You do do something about it. Your the avatar, you ended the war, made peace between the nations. You don't want to do this."

"Yes I do. You said it yourself. I agree with you on things like the jade bandit, Long feng. I just cant show that, because I'm the avatar. I have to act a certain way. And I am sick of it. For once I don't want to do what is expected of me. I want to do what I really feel inside, what I feel like. Right now I want to hurt the person that hurt you."

Toph listened with utter shock at what he was saying. It was like someone else was using Aang's voice. This couldn't be him. "Do you here yourself you sound like a child..."

"So what. I never got to be a child..."

"Neither did I. None of us did. That doesn't mean we can start acting like a little brat now..."

"Because we have responsibility. We have to make the world better for other generations. So they don't have to go through what we did." She gently nodded her head. "Why. Why do we have to be the ones..."

"Aang." Her voice lost all its harshness. Now it was soft and gentle, as she took a step towards him. He mover to turn away from her. She couldn't let him go, couldn't let him do this. With what strength she had she run after her. Taking hold of his left wrist, she pulled him back a little. His back crashed slightly into her chest, as he lifted her right hand to take hold of his robe. "This isn't you. Please don't do this."

As gently as he could, as not to hurt her, he pulled himself free from her hold. He pulled put his glider as he ran along the path. When he had enough speed he took off into the air. Leaving Toph along on the earth. Her breathing was heavy as she tried to make sense of what had just happened. A millions thoughts raced through her head. Should she try and run after him. Go back to the palace, tell Zuko and Katara what had happened. Not do anything, let him make his own mistakes. Her thoughts began to clear as she felt footsteps walking towards her.

"Why didn't you do something. You where watching the whole time weren't you. You could have stopped him..."

"Toph. If you couldn't have stopped him, no one would have been able to." Zuko was now standing a few feet behind her. While shacking her head she turned to face him. "I only got here a few seconds need your rest. Come on" He held out his hand for her. She took it and was pulled to his side. He placed his arm around her back, gently pushing her forward to the palace.

"Why is he doing this." Her voice was so low, he wasn't sure if she was talking to him or herself.

Pulling her a little closer to him he answered. "I don't know."

"Liar. You know. Tell me."

She stopped letting him lead her back to the palace. She stood rooted to the spot, not moving till she got an answer. Zuko looked at her, her eyes seemed to be pleading with him to answer her. "He cares about you. He saw you get hurt, and he blames himself for that. That must make him feels helpless and he wants to do something about that."

He could tell that she understood what he was saying. She just didn't like it. "Hurting, maybe killing someone is going to help him not feel helpless."

"Toph." His tone was now a little stern, like he expected more from her. He once again started to lead her back to the palace. "What have you done so you don't feel helpless."

She knew what he was talking about. Fighting in underground tournaments, running away from home. Even fighting in a war. "But I never set out to kill someone."

"Kenshi." That was all he had to say. The name of her birth mothers killer. She was silenced. No she hadn't killed him, but she could have. She left him instead with paralysed arms. He really didn't want to have to bring this up. He didn't even now why he had said it, why he was in a way defending Aang, when he was still angry with him.

"I didn't kill him though. Aang might."

"Do you really think that, that he could do that. I'm not his biggest fan right now, but I don't think he will really hurt that guy."

They where no on the steps leading back into the palace. Toph stopped on the bottom step, forcing Zuko to look at her while she asked one more question. "Do you really thing that."

He knew what he should say, what she wanted to hear. He just couldn't lie to her, and not because she would know if he did. "I hope so. This isn't like like him." As little as he said and as unsure as he was about it, it was enough for her. He kissed the top of her head, before helping her up the steps.

Her head leaned onto his chest. All of the energy she had was quickly seeping out of her. She had pushed herself to much, to soon. "I still don't get why he is doing this." Again he was sure she was talking more to herself than to him. That was why he didn't give her the answer. He was sure that he knew full well why Aang was doing this. Why he was acting so out of character. It wasn't his place to tell her, he wasn't even sure if Aang knew himself. Because of course there was only one reason why someone would do what Aang was doing.

* * *

**Thanks for reading. I hope that this chapter makes sense. It was really hard to write. Making it clear why Aang is doing what he's doing. That is makes sense for his character. He is anger and feels helpless, and just wants to do something. I hope that was clear and not to out of character. As for the reason Zuko thinks is why he is doing this, well that is up to you. I could be something or nothing. I would be very interested to hear what you think that reason it. **


	11. Chapter 11

The next morning came and went and Aang hadn't come back. Lunch also came and went with no sight or sound for him. Toph acted like she didn't care, but it was clear she was worried. Zuko spent his time in his study, shut up away from everyone. He didn't want to have to think about what Aang could be doing now. He hoped Aang would have more sense, but if he was right about the real reason he was doing this, then he wasn't sure that he would. Katara made several attempts to talk to both of them, but never went through with it.

Dinner was going to be severed soon. It was very unlikely that Aang was going to be making an appearance. Toph felt she had to make an effort to show that she was fine. That she was getting better, and not worrying about what Aang was doing. So she decided to change into a formal robe, try and look like a lady. The problem was she couldn't do any thing with her hair or put on any make. She was just able to dress herself without to much pain. She made her way from her room, to the room she knew Katara only pretend she slept in. when everyone was in their rooms, she would slip along the corridor to Zuko's room.

She knocked the door softly, but didn't bother to wait for a reply. Katara was sitting in-front of her table doing her make up. She was surprised to see Toph, especially dresses up a little. "Are you ok."

Toph nodded, as she walked further into the room. "You."

A forced smile spread across Katara's face as she turned to fully face her friends. "Of course. Was there something you need." There was an oddness to her tone that Toph didn't like. Katara always put on a pleasant front, but this was to much. Toph sat on the edge of the bed, preparing herself for what she was sure would be a very long chat, once she finally got Katara to talk.

"What is bothering you sweetness."

The use of her old nickname relaxed Katara a little. "It's Zuko, I'm worried that..."

"Don't tell be your worried you have made a mistake saying you'll marry him. Katara you two are..."

"No. it's...well, its not exactly. You said that he didn't try and stop Aang from leaving last night." She saw Toph was about to speak up in Zuko's defence, but kept talking not giving her a change to. "I know, he was right. I don't think there was anything he could have done to stop him...I'm just worried that...he hasn't changed. That he still thinks revenge is the right thing. I wish I could, know...for sure you know. That he had changed."

Toph's mouth opened to speak, but she closed it quickly again. There were so many things she wanted to say. None of them seemed like the right thing though. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. They were so perfect for each other. How could Katara feel like this, it didn't make sense. "Katara. He's not the same person that chased you around, trying to hurt your best friend..."

"I know. I just...he might still might."

"What would it take for you to stop feeling like this." She was a little surprised at the words that just came out of her mouth. There was nothing she could do about what was going on with Aang, but this was something she could help with.

Katara, judging by her heart rate was just as surprised by what she said as Toph was. "Thanks Toph, but...there isn't...No, there's... nothing."

Toph felt her lie. She could have told just by her voice. "Your lying, what is it."

"It's nothing." Toph did her best to met her eyes, staring her down. "It's stupid. Just something crazy idea I thought of, but I cant...I cant ask you." The second the last part was out, she regraded it.

There was very little that Toph could really do at the minute, till she got her strength back. She knew she must hate that, and would jump on the change to do something, anything. There was just no way she could ask her.

"Katara. You can ask me, you saved my life. I owe you." This was the first time that Toph had said anything directly about what had happened to her. Katara knew Toph well enough to know that this was a close to a thank you and a hug as for taking care of her as she was going to get.

"I thought that...he knows were he is. The man that killed your mother." She paused, watching Toph for any sigh of reaction to what had just been said. "If you asked him to tell you...so you could. Deal with him...if he did then..."

"I get the idea. He tells me, thinking I would kill the guy. Then he hasn't changed. If he doesn't he has." Hearing Toph say it that way, made it sound all the more stupid. It had bad been something she had thought about for a second, never taking it seriously. Realising how stupid it was, how much she was overreacting about this, made her wish she had never brought it up.

"Toph seriously. It's a crazy idea, I'm overacting. Just forget it." She even let out a little laugh, to make her point.

"No..." Toph had a glazed look to her normally foggy eyes now. "I'll do it."

"Don't be stupid."

Toph carefully moved to stand up. "I'm not. It's not the best idea in the world. I don't see why you need to test him." Her head fell a little now. "But if you do, then I'll help you. If it stops you worrying so much, and lets you both enjoy all of this. Then it's worth it." Still carefully she moved towards the door.

Katara was now faster than her, while she was hurt. So she was able to leap from her seat and catch Toph's the arm, before she left the room. "Toph..."

"I'm fine. I've dealt with it. Like you did. He is a sad little man that has to live with what he did for the rest of his life. Nothing I do to him it worse than that. I can't make him suffer more than he is." With more force than Katara expected, Toph pulled her arm free and left the room slamming the door behind her. She was in shock, not knowing what she should do now.

Toph made her way towards Zuko's study. She walked with more purpose than she had in a long time. The corridors she walked down echoed with her footsteps, but all she heard was the screaming in her head. It was Kenshi, the man that killed her mother, screaming. Like he had done when she last saw him, and paralysed his arms, with very brutal bonebending. Her heart rate raced as the memory came flooding back to her. Along with all of he rage and anger. This gave her the energy she need to pick up her pace, and throw the doors to the Zuko's study open, then marsh up to his desk, with him sitting behind it.

"Tell me where he is."

Zuko looked totally stunned. It took him a few seconds to process what had just happened. "I know as much as you do." He thought she was talking about Aang. When he found out who she was really talking about, he was going to wish it was Aang she meant. As it was at the minute he was angry that Aang was upsetting her so much. He hadn't ever seen her so agitated before.

"I'm talking about Kenshi. The man that killed my mother."

Zuko moved to stand up, but found himself shoved back into his seat. Toph had lifted her right hand, bonebending him back into his seat. "Toph..."

"Just tell me."

"I thought you had put this behind you."

Her hand lowered, letting him go. "So did I." Her voice lost its steel for a second. "Guess I was wrong."

"What is going on Toph. This isn't you."

Once again his attempt to stand was met with a painfully shove back onto his chair. She had never used bonebending on him before, he never thought he would see her use it at all. She seemed to hate the idea of it so much, like Katara did with bloodbending. There were times he thought though that they would have to use these skills, no matter how much they disliked them. With this realisation he realised just how serious she was about this.

"I am only asking you to tell me out of a courtesy. Don't think that I need you. Just tell me, I'll find out for myself anyway. This is the simplest way." Her voice was like ice, he had never heard he be so cold before.

"Why now. Is this because of what Aang..."

"It has nothing to do with Aang. He isn't going to go through with it anyway. He'll be back soon, apologizing for acting like an idiot."

"And your not acting like an idiot now, little a child."

"Yes I'm, and I don't care. I'm selfish I only care about myself, I only went with Aang and the others in the first place because it got me away from my father. I only stood up for you, cause we would stand a better chance on winning, and I didn't want to be on the loosing side. Don't you get it. I'm not like the rest of you. I don't think, I do what I want. Now are you going to tell me what I need to now."

She had been moving closer, till she stood right in-front of the desk. "No, I'm not going to tell you."

A look of slight disgust went across her face, as she turned to leave. Zuko, now free jumped to his feet. "But, I'll take you there, to him. Just wait a little longer, till your stronger."

he sounded so sincere, she almost believed him. Anyone else would have, but he was just staling for time. She turned back to face him. Her hands out in-front of her. She bent the metal hinges and handles on the desk, too push away from her. Causing the desk to move towards the wall behind it, with Zuko still behind it. With him pinned by the desk to the wall, she left the room, slamming the door behind her.

* * *

**I hope that this make sense. Like the last chapter I was worried that it didn't make sense how things end up the way there do. I hope its clear that Katara wasn't serious about the plan and Toph is just using it as an excuse to do something. As she feel useless right now, and has to act.**

**Thank you for reading. I have decided to start writing another story. A merlin one, not avatar. I would normally wait till I have completely finished with all twenty parts of this story, but I would like to make a start on the other one before the new season starts. I will still keep writing this story and the parts to come, I really want to finish it. I would like to do one chapter of this, then one for the other story, then back to this one and so on. The thing is that might not always be the case. If for instance I up-date a story here, then up-date the other story. I then get maybe two or three reviews for the new story, but have got nothing from this one, then I would up-date the new one first. The reason I would do that is because I feel like if someone reviews then it means that they would like the story to go one, as they have taken the time to review. **

**I want to make it clear, like a few chapters ago, that I am not saying that you have to review to get a new chapter, like bribery. I just thought I should let you know why, like before there maybe a bit more of a gap between chapters from now on. **

**Also if you like merlin as well, then please keep a look out for my story. I think I'm going to call it, can't fight fate. **


	12. Chapter 12

Toph made her way through the palace, down towards the library on the lower floor. This was where all important documents where kept. She was sure that this was where she would find the information as to the whereabouts of Kenshi. Her heart was almost beating through her chest. There was a drumming noise inside her head. Rage was fuelling her, helping her ignore the pain in her stomach.

She was about to turn around a corner, when Katara turned it first, walking towards her. She stopped, waiting for Toph to do the same. Toph just kept walking, Katara had to turn back round, and pull her round to face her. "Toph. Are you ok, what's going on."

Once she had time to think things over, Katara decided to go after Toph. It seemed that she had left it to long, she was to late. She just didn't understand what was so wrong. She could tell it had to be something really bad, as Toph looked do unnatural. Looking at her a little more closely now, she was sure that Toph's eyes looked darked than normal, but that was impossible.

"congratulations. He has changed. Unfortunately, I was wrong. I'm not over it." She pulled her arm free from Katara and made her way along the corridor again. Katara followed after her, when Toph noticed this she spun round to face her. "Leave me alone."

"Toph, please..."

Toph lifted her arm out in-front of her, bending an earth column towards Katara. She jumped out of the way, landing with her back against the wall. She noticed a small table with a vase of flowers a little down the corridor. She really didn't want to have to do this, but she had to stop Toph. She bent the water from the vase and bent it towards Toph. She aimed for the back of her legs. She just wanted to knock her down, so she could hold her back long enough to talk some sense into her. Toph was quicker than she had expected. She spun back round, jolting her right arm up, as she did. Katara felt a blow to her cheat, that knocked her backwards. The water she was bending fell to the floor. Making a long puddle.

Like Zuko, Katara had never seen Toph use bonebending before. She also had never thought that she would use it on her. The wind was knocked out of her, it took her a little while to able to pick herself up. When she did Toph was gone. She had left behind a set of bars of earth, from the floor to the roof. Blocking Katara's path to follow her.

She had to try harder to ignore the pain she now felt. Her breathing was also getting more strained. If she meat either of them again, she didn't think she would be strong enough to get past them. When she finally reached the library, the door was locked. Placing a hand over the lock, she bent it open.

The library was smaller than the one in Ba Sing Sa. There was one large table in the centre of the room. She made her way towards that. Placing her hands on it, so she could get her breath back. A pair of footsteps were making there way towards the library. Everything was starting to spin, so she couldn't tell who it was. She turned round to face the door, keeping one hand on the table to keep her up. Once the person was in the doorway she could tell who it was. She was about to say there name, but no sound came out when she tried. She felt her knees buckle, then just before she was fully lying on the floor, she felt a strong pair of arms catch her, then nothing.

"Toph...Toph...To.." Katara held onto the door-fram, as she spun into the door way. She stopped catching he breath, as Aang slipped his arm under Toph's knees lifting her up. "Aang."

He gave her a comforting look, mixed in with a slight apology. In return she gave him a soft smile. As he walked past her, she picked up Toph's hand that hung down, and placed it on her stomach. Once they had her back in her room, and Zuko had joined them, Katara checked her over. She was fine, she had just pushed herself to much. A little rest and she would be fine. Then she had to tell them how all of this had happened. Zuko gave her a look of disappointment, then quickly pulled her into a hug, kissing the top of her head as he did.

Aang felt himself about to say something about how stupid Katara had been. Of course Toph would jump at a change right now to prove she was fine, and there was no way she was over what happened to her mother. No one-ever ever gets over something like that. She herself would never be over her mothers loss either. He didn't say anything though. He was in no position to lecture her, or any one right now. The only solace he had for the way he acted was that he didn't go through with it. He just get flying on his glider, resting ever now and then, then when how pointless what he was doing was, he turned back. It was pure luck that he saw Toph just turning a corner, when he got back and followed her.

"I'll stay with her till she wakes up. I have to apologize." Katara slipped out of Zuko's arms and moved to sit on the chair by the bed. He felt he showed tell her, that she needed her rest too, and Toph would probable sleep for quit a while. He didn't say anything though. He knew that nothing he said was going to change her mind. Katara felt she had to make things up to Toph, and this was the only way she could think of doing that right now.

He and Aang made there way quietly from the room. Once he had closed the door carefully behind him, Aang finally spoke. "I turned back. I couldn't go through with it."

"I didn't think you could." Zuko patted him on the back, trying to sound as comforting as he could.

Aang let out a deep breath, as he found the courage to say what he had planned. "Zuko. I want us to fight in agni kai."

Zuko didn't know what to say. There really wasn't anything you could say to that. Agni kai's hadn't seriously been fought since the end of the war. He knew that Aang didn't want to fight him to the death. This was more to do with his pride. Toph got hurt, he blamed himself, and he wanted to prove to himself and Toph probably that he was strong. He understood all of this, he just didn't understand why Aang of all people would think of this as being the best way to make himself feel better.

"I know it sounds odd, but it will put an..."

"It won't change anything. It won't make you feel any more of a man. I promise you."

"That's not what its about. I'm the avatar. I have to be strong, and I let myself down. I'm also a monk and I let me angry get the best of me. I want to prove to myself that I am in-control of my emotions."

"you sound like Toph, you know that."

"Zuko please."

Zuko gave an a slight nod. To which he was given a thank you, before Aang left to go to his room. An uneasy feeling came over Zuko. He didn't think this was a good idea, it could all get very out of hand. On the other hand, if lashing out a little in a controlled way helped Aang, then maybe that wasn't to bad. I would also give him the chance to take out his angry with Aang, for letting Toph get hurt, at him directly. Maybe it wasn't sure a bad idea after all. Girls could talk, yell out their disagreements, man maybe had to beat each other up a little, to clear the air, get rid of the tension. The problem now was the girls. They were not going to like this.

* * *

**I don't really like the way this chapter came out. The next one will be better, I promise. I hope that it makes sense why Aang and Zuko are doing what they are doing. I really should a[apologize for this chapter. I am very sorry. Please keep reading. **


	13. Chapter 13

Everyone had expected Toph to complain about being forced to rest, but she put up no fight. That was what worried them the most. It seemed that she had lost her fight. The truth was that she had used all the strength she had to get to this stage, and she was tired. Tired of having to fight for everything. She was also embarrassed of her actions the other day. Her emotions got the better of her, and she had lashed out at her friends, that had only been trying to help her. These where the thoughts that went through her head as she sat under the cherry blossom tree in the garden of the palace. She was only pulled out of her thoughts when she felt someone walk towards her. She didn't even have to try and see whose vibrations it was.

As Aang walked towards her, he had a feeling he had seen this before. It then hit him, this was the way he found her the day of the ball at Ba sing Sa, almost six years ago. He had thought she looked tiny and frail then, but now. The memory of how that night had gone still pained him, especially now. With what he was going to have to tell her. If she got so angry with him for going after the guy that hurt her, then he could only imagine how angry he was going to make her now. He really didn't want to tell her, but he knew he had to.

"I don't remember there being a cherry blossom tree here before." He was trying to lighting the mood and failing.

"There wasn't. They only grow in the earth kingdom. I planted it, and helped it grow. The last time I spent a lot of time here, when I was engaged to Zuko. Before you came back." She felt his hear almost sink when she said that. She never missed the chance to twist the knife even further. "You didn't come here to talk to me about trees. So why don't you just talk to me."

This was the most and strongest he had heard her speak since she woke up, and it seemed to be a real effort for her. He was going to have to just tell her what he had come here to say. He didn't want to drag this out any longer than it had to be. "I have challenged Zuko to an agni kai. He accepted."

"What!" Her voice cam out more like a screech than a yell. She was also now on her feet trying to looking him in the eyes so quickly, Aang thought she looked like she was going to lose her balance.

He expected her to react like this, and to ask that question. Simple and straight to the point. He had an answer, but not one she would understand or accept. He had spent four years away from his friends trying to learn to be a better avatar. It seemed like a waist, as after all that he could still lose control hurting people he cared about. How could he ever make her or anyone understand that. "I have to do this. Firebending has always been a huge wall for him. I have to learn to deal with it so I can be the avatar that people need me to be."

"And you think fighting your friend is going to do that. Have you even thought about what this is going to be like for Zuko. You know how he got his scare, and what happened with Azula. I was there the last time he fought her. I saw, felt what it did to him. How can you do that to him." She had never felt this let down by anyone in her life, not even her father. He at least had been doing what he thought was best for her. It took her a very long time to realise and accept that. She had thought Aang was better than this. If he could do this it meant that is leavening for all that time was for nothing, he abandoned them for nothing, because he hadn't grown up.

"It is nothing personal..."

"Are you sure this isn't all about Katara.

This question he hadn't really expected, it caught him off guard and he didn't know how best to answer it."Toph I need to prove something to myself, this is the only way I know how." He never answered her question, but he was telling the truth.

She just couldn't listen to him any more."Do what you want, I don't care any more. I'm having nothing to do with any of this." Despite how slowly she walked away, she still managed to do it with dignity and strength. He had to admire that, even if she was mad at him.

He tried to call after her. "I don't expect you to understand, but please...don't hate me" He didn't know if she heard him, she didn't react.

Aang slummed down against the tree, as he shock it cherry blossoms fell down around him. One landed on his hand. For a reason he never really understood, cherry blossoms would always remind him of Toph. This had seemed odd at first, but the more he thought about it over later years he realised why. Cherry blossoms looked frail, delicate but they were one of the most resilient flower. Except for lotus flowers, her namesake.

Toph didn't leave her room for the next two days. She didn't want to see anyone, out of disappointment at them and herself. The agni kai was going to happen tomorrow, creating a worse tension between those of them that bumped into each other around the palace. Toph, true to her word had no intention of going or of seeing any one for a long time. She could almost understand why Aang wanted to fight Zuko in this way, but she couldn't understand why Zuko had agreed. All she could come up with was that Aang had something to prove to himself, as the avatar, and Zuko as the fire lord had his honour to up hold too. It all came down to male pride and maybe a girl.

Someone knocked at the door, they didn't wait for an answer they just entered. A very brave thing to do with Toph in the mood she was in. "So how are you doing." Katara walked over to the window seat were Toph was sitting, and sat down across from her.

"Fine, you."

"Aang's worried that you are acting odd, because of the blow to you head." She was really using Aang's worries as an excuse to voice her own.

"My brain is fine. It's Aang and Zuko 's I would worry about." Katara had never heard Toph sound that bitter, not even if she ever got her to talk about her father. It still made smile a little though.

"Can I just cheek you over. To but his...and my mind at rest." Toph nodded, she had been waiting for Katara to ask that. She was sure she wasn't going to get through her time here without Katara fusing over her after her injures. It just surprised her it had taken her this long. Katara placed her right hand on the back of Toph's head where her wound was. After a few seconds she took her hand away "It's healing really well, better than I expected. So that mean there has to be a more emotional reason as to why you have shut yourself up in here for all this time."

Toph had expected this too "I'm just tired. I feel like I have been fighting my whole life. I had to fight to earthbend, then when I left with you guys. I never stopped fighting. For the past five years I have had to fight to do anything, to get the other nobles to listen to me, organising the dai li. I am just tired I thought it was getting easier, but it's not. So I give up. I can't fight any more. Whatever happens, happens, I am done trying to chance it."

Katara had never heard Toph sound so defeated. She understood where she was coming from. Out of all of them Toph was the one that had to fight the most to get to where she wanted to be. No wonder she felt like she wanted to just give up, that didn't change the fact that Toph was the fighter. She never gave up.

"Toph. You can't just live up..."

"Relax. I just mean, that I'm giving up on helping Aang. Its to hard, pushing him to do what I believe he should be doing. He's on his own."

Katara let out a sigh of relief. It still upset her to hear Toph talk like that, but at least she knew that Toph hadn't completely given up. Feeling more comfortable, she decided to bring up the topic they were both clearly think about, but not talking about. "Are you going to go tomorrow."

Toph believed Katara was feeling sorry for her, and she wanted to change the subject. This was the best she could come up with. "No. are you." She said asked this like she just couldn't believe that Katara could even be considering going. Being a part of this stupidity.

"I don't know I said I wouldn't, but I don't know now. I feel like I should be there." Toph felt really sorry for Katara now, she was really caught in the middle of all this. "Will you go with me." She almost sounded like she was pleading a little.

"I can't."

Katara felt a little disappointed, but she understood why Toph felt the way she did. After all she felt the same way, she just happened to be in love with one of the morons. She carefully pulled out a letter from her pocket she had been given by Aang the other day. "He asked me to give you this." She handed the letter to Toph, but she didn't move to take it. So she had to force it into her hand. She then got up to leave. Not before she wrapped arms around Toph's neck in a half hug. Then left her to read the letter in peace.

Toph sat in the same position for a few minutes. Where the only movement she did, was the rising and falling of her chest as she breathed in and out. In a sudden burst of angry she scrunched the letter in her hand. She moved her arm up to throw it out the window, but she couldn't do it. She brought her arm down. The letter lay in her her lap for a few minutes more, before she uncreased the letter. she held it in her hands for still another few minutes before she ribbed it open. It seemed this task was one that had to be done in stages.

She ran her fingers over the ink, tacking it all in.

_Toph_

_I have to do this place try to understand. Don't hate me. Sorry. _

_Love Aang_

She felt herself get very close to shedding a tear. She ribbed the letter into pieces, and let then flow out of the window. The light wind carried the pieces of paper over the garden, till they landed in the turtle duck pound. She didn't hate him. He had given her, her freedom. For that she didn't think she could ever really hate him. She hated that he could make her feel like this though. She also hated what he was doing, but she didn't hate him. She wished she could though, that would make this all a lot simpler. She would now what to do then. Right now she didn't have a clue what she should do next.

Once she felt herself calm down again, she noticed something still resting on her lap. She picked it up, twiddled it in her figures. It was a cherry blossom from her tree in the garden. She just couldn't understand how she could read someone like a book so easily the majority of the time, but now she had no idea what was going throw his mind.

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**Thank you for reading. I think this chapter was better than the last one. I'm still not all that happy with it, maybe when the action starts up again in the next chapter the story will pick up. **


	14. Chapter 14

**I thought I would just explain a few things in case anyone is confused. Aang wants to fight Zuko in a angi kai because he feels that he has to prove to himself that he can be a good avatar, after what just happened with Toph. He choose to prove himself this way as he has always had problems with firebending, so if he can do this then he can control his angry, there for the avatar state. This might not really make much since, but for the story to work it kind of has to. **

**Toph has been through a lot, and has kept going she has got to the point where she is just tired of having to struggle for everything she hasn't given up on life or anything like that. She has just lost her spark, but only for a bit.**

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The Angi kai started with little acknowledgement. Aang and Zuko where in the arena, no one was there to watch. This was due to the fact that no one outside of the four friends knew about what was going on. If people know about a angi kai between the fire lord and the avatar, there would no one room for anyone to stand in the arena, it would be that crowded.

Zuko didn't what to be here, but a part of him had always known deep down that he and Aang would end up in a situation like this at some point. After all he had done to Aang and the other almost six years ago, he still felt he had to take a few hits from them to make up for it. They may have forgiven him fully, but he would never forgive himself. Aang had almost backed out of the fight. He really didn't want to put his friends through this. He couldn't back down now though. It had gone to far to turn back now. He had to learn how to deal with his angry, so that is wasn't going to hurt anyone ever again. Firebending was a big part of that. They both wished Toph and Katara where here with them. Who better to take care of them after the fight than a healer and an herbalist.

There was a balcony that went around the arena, it was for the nobles so they could get a clear view of the fight without getting to close. Katara was about to walk up the stairs to this balcony. This way she could watch without being seen. She had been standing at the foot of the stares for about five minutes. Trying to some up the courage to make her feet move forward, climb up the stares, when someone walked up behind her.

Toph was only there for Katara, this was hard for her. Watching her best friend fighting the love of your life was not something anyone ever thinks they will have to see. Toph over took Katara, and started to walk up the stairs. Without saying a word. A smile of gratitude crossed Katara's face. Now having the courage, she climbed the stares after her friend. When they where side by side Katara took hold of Toph's hand.

"Thank you." She whispered, as she squeezed her hand.

Toph still didn't say anything. They just kept walking. Toph was trying to be as detached as she could, but no matter how hard she tried she was never going to be able to block out what was going on a few feet away. She could see ever move they made already, before setting foot into the arena. As they reached the balcony, and looked down at the arena, their hearts sank. When they arrived Aang and Zuko had been fighting for a good few minutes. There was no clear winner at this point. They had both bent fire daggers. Aang had one in each hand. Zuko had bent the same, but then he had bent them together to make a sword. Giving him a greater range of attack.

The fight was now close range. Toph was having a hard time keeping track of their movements. Aang almost got a good hit to Zuko's chest, but he was able to block it in time. Katara who was still holding onto Toph's hand held it tighter, and pulled their joined hand up to shoulder level. Her heart was almost beating out of her chest. It was by far the fastest heart beat Toph could feel in the arena. Even with the energy they were using, Aang and Zuko still had steady, normally heart beats for the situation they were in. This only made it clearer to Toph that fighting is always worse for the ones that have to watch.

This was much worse than they had thought it would be. Despite being a firebender Zuko was also an excellent swordsman, and Aang as an airbender could move very fast in close range. If they had been fighting anyone else other than each other, they both would have had the advantage. Ageist each other it just took the fight to another level. Neither Katara's eyes, or Toph's sight could keep up with them now. Katara was now digging her nails a little into Toph's hand.

Zuko and Aang where now locked in to a stalemate. Nether wanted to loosen their grip on their fire weapons. They stayed like this for a few seconds, as they gathered there breath back. Zuko was the first to move again. He created a fire ball that he sent out along the sword. Not wanting to be out done, Aang bent his fire daggers into a fire ball, which he bent towards Zuko. The force of the two attacks hitting each other, pushed them both back a few feet. Right to the very edge of the battle area.

Once he had regained his balance, Zuko started looking around the arena for ash that had fallen during the fight. He had wanted to try out bending ash, and this seemed like as good a time as any. He noticed Aang was still getting to his feet, so he turned his back for a second. Aang say this as his chance, in the heat of the moment he sent out a small, powerful ball of fire at Zuko. He really didn't want to hit him in the back. He hoped that Zuko would feel the attack coming, be turned round when it hit him. So he wouldn't get the full impact, but be hit enough to knock him from the field of battle. There by ending the angi kai, with himself as the winner. As he was about to send out the fire ball, that could end the fight, he felt his arm being sharply pulled to the left. The fire ball left a huge whole the wall.

There was only one way that his arm could move like that. He and Zuko both looked around the arena, they saw the girls watching them from the balcony. Toph's left arm was stitched out in front of her. The other was still being held at shoulder level by Katara. Aang felt a wave of joy was washed over him, she had come. Then in the pit of his stomach guilt and shame rose. Before any of them could say anything, Toph started to lose her balance, bonebending was always a strain, but this was worse than before. She didn't fall over as Katara had a grip on her hand. Aang airbent himself up onto the balcony. Zuko left to take the stairs.

When Aang was on the balcony he ran to the girls. He scoped Toph into his arms. It hit him how well she feet in his arms, how easy she was to carry like this. To his surprise she didn't put up a fight. She even warped her arms around his neck, and rested her head in the crock of his neck. Katara gave him a brief look, that let him now she wasn't mad. Just worried for her friends. He wanted to say he was sorry, but no words would leave his mouth.

He left to take her to her room, so she could rest. As he made his way down the stairs he pasted Zuko. Who stepped aside to let Aang past. Aang gave him a look that said that he was sorry, and that he was going to take care of Toph. Zuko gave him a look in return, to let him now that he accepted his apology. He placed his hand on his shoulder, and gave a nod. In the pit of his stomach he was not all that happy with being the one to look after Toph now. He pushed this aside as he knew Toph wouldn't want him to start another fight, to treat her like a child. This had to be hard enough for her. Her head was tucked into Aang's shoulder, so he couldn't see her face. Eh didn't know if this was because she was embarrassed, or because she was very tired.

Katara was at the top of the stairs when Zuko turned round. He shot her a smile, and opened out his arms. She ran down the steps, taking two at a time. Running into his open arms. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she felt an overwhelming feeling of relief and safety. He felt her hands placed on his back, she was cheeking to make sure he wasn't hurt. He just pulled her in tighter, resting his chin on her shoulder. He whispered, I love you into her ear. To which she pulled her head back to to kiss him, before she responded with an I love you too.

Aang lay Toph down on her bed. He was sure she had fallen asleep as he was carrying her to her room, as her grip around his neck had loosened. He turned to leave,out of the corner of his eye he saw a piece of ribbed paper. He was sure it was his message to her.

_Had she even read it?_

Before he could think any more about it he felt her hand in his. He looked down at her to see her hand in his, her eyes were still closed, but she was slightly awake. She had reached out to him, to get him to stay. "I tried to understand." Her voice was so low, but he heard every word. He knew she had tried. He held her hand tighter, then rested it on the bed by her head. She was now fully asleep again. As he moved to leave again, he noticed a cherry blossom on the table by her bed.

_She did read it._

He moved a strand of hair from her face, and then left her to rest.

As he made his way to his room he thought about what he was going to do now. His actions over the last few days could be put down to a crises of conscious. Hi actions hadn't helped in the end. He still felt like he had to prove to himself, that he was really ready for what he was going to have to do for the rest of his life. There was only one way he could think of to deal with it, and he didn't like it. He also knew that his friends where going to like it even less, but he had to do it. To be the person that ever one expected him to be. There was a nagging feeling in the back of his head, telling him that he was wrong. That the reason he had been acting odd lately wasn't to do with proving himself in the way that he thought. He tuned this out, not wanting to look to closely at himself or his actions. He had made up his mind. He just hoped this time he had gotten it right.

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**Thank you for reading. I hope you liked it, and that the story is starting to get better. Please review. **


	15. Chapter 15

Dinner had been prepared in the same room as it had been for the past ten days. This time Katara sat on her own, waiting for the others to join her. It had only been a few hours since the agni kai had ended. Zuko was changing his clothes, and Aang hadn't been seen since he took Toph to her room. She didn't expect Toph to come, and possibly Aang, but she knew Zuko would be there soon. For some reason the minutes went by so slowly, something was not right. It was the same feeling she had had just before the final battle, they were on the eve of something important, they all felt it, in their own way. Knowing they couldn't change it.

As Zuko entered she got up from the table to hug him, she didn't know why she did it. Feeling his breath on her neck, made her realise that she had been holding her breath waiting for him to get there. By the time Aang entered they were sitting at the table, not talking. He took his seat without a word. He had hoped that Toph would have been here too, but he had to get it over with. He couldn't keep it in any longer "I am going to be leaving tomorrow..."

"Where are we going."

She hadn't let him finish. They all turned to see Toph in the doorway. Aang looked her right in the eyes, as it might have been his last chance to really look at them. He was sure he saw a spark of rich green in them, like he used too. Apart from this flash of colour her eyes seemed so cold.

"I'm going on my own. I have to go on my own." He walked towards her, reaching his hand out to take hers. She moved her hand away from him so quickly, he took a minute to go on. "You have all found your place in this world, I know what mine is. I need to prove that I am ready to take that place."

"So, what you're just going to take off for another four year. Leaving us to do all the work again. Then comeback and it will be fine. Like nothing happened" He was about to speak again, but she continued in a much lower voice. Zuko and Katara felt like their presence had been forgotten. "I can't do it again Aang, I don't have the energy to do it all on my own again."

"I am sorry Toph, but I have to do this. On my own." he reached out to take her hand again, but she once more pulled it away from him "If you want to leave tomorrow, I will drop you of anywhere you want to go." He turned around to look at Katara. He wanted to ask her if Toph would be well enough to travel tomorrow. Before he could say anything, She let out a bitter laugh, and left. He felt his heart sink to the floor, the way he always felt when he saw her walk away like this.

It was like she had really given up on him. She was done with helping him, pushing him to be better. Toph who never given up on anything in her life. Had for the first time in he life, held her hands up and walked away from something. He had left her down, disappointed her more than anyone else. He had finally beaten her at something.

"You never learn do you." Zuko spoke louder than anyone else had. Breaking the silent tension that was in the room. Aang turned to face him. "You are just going to make the same mistakes all over again." Zuko was now on his feet, he walked out of the dining room from the side door. He needed to leave before he said too much. He slammed the door shut after him, causing Katara to flinch.

Aang's eyes now fell on Katara, he looked for any signs of understanding from her, as she got to her feet too."Katara you understand don't you."

She was about to start to leave when he spoke. She looked at the floor, yet out a sigh as she lifted her head "No I don't." He was about to speak again, get her to understand, but she spoke first "We haven't all found our place in the world. Toph hasn't, she is just as lost as you. Maybe it's because she's an earthbender, but she endures, stays where she has too. You just take off, you have nothing to ground you, keep you here. So maybe you should go."

She left too now. Aang found himself all alone. His dissolve to leave was weakening. After a few minute he found himself walking towards Toph's room. When he was close he stopped for a minute, he would be the last person she would want to be around now. He turned and walked away. He had to force himself to do this. Even if she was mad at him, would yell at him. He found that he would be fine with that, if it meant she would be talking to him.

He walked to the garden, he was going to go check on Appa. He would be the only person that wouldn't yell at him, or look at him with disappointment. When he got closer to the stables, he saw Katara kneeling at the pound. He didn't know if he should turn and walk towards her or keep going. Before he could make up his mind, she turned to face him. She slowly got to her feet. "I'm sorry."

"Me too." He had to yell a little so she could here him, as he walked over to her.

They stood side by side looking at the water. "I don't hate you, and if you really have to go, then I will believe you. I'll be here when you come back, all will." She rubbed his shoulder, then turn fully to gave him a hug. "But I think you are making a mistake. A huge mistake."

He left her a few minute later, he went back to his room to pack. He was going to leave at sun rise the next morning. He wanted to stay and talk to Katara, but it just seemed so hard. He hoped once he left it would be easier, simpler. He wouldn't have to see them look at him like that. This he knew would only give him some comfort for a day or two before he started to really missing them. That was just something he would have to learn to live with.

Toph didn't sleep that night. She sat on the window seat the whole night. She could tell when Aang and Katara had been in the garden. She never heard what they said. She didn't care, nothing he could say or do was going to make her forgive him. He was the first person she ever opened up too, she had trusted him. He had let her down over and over again. She was so guarded with people, but with him she had felt like she could drop her guard a little. The worst part was that she didn't hate him, and deep down she would still keep trusting him. So she would do what she always did, shut him out, as if she didn't care.

She didn't know what she was going to do. Go back to Ba Sing Sa or Omashi. She didn't have the strength to deal with that now. In a while she would go back, but not now. Her academy was doing fine without her for now, the idea of being surrounded by people didn't appeal to her. She toyed with the idea of going to one of the air temples, but that was not an option, he might be there. That only left her with one option. She didn't like it, but she knew that she would have to face it at some point.

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**Sorry its so short. There are two more chapters left in this part of the story. **


	16. Chapter 16

There wasn't a cloud in the sky, but the sun gave no warmth. Aang had said his goodbyes to Zuko and Katara. She put on a forced smile and wished him luck. Zuko was only there because Katara had asked him to be. He gave Aang a slight nod and a goodbye. Aang had made it all the way to Toph's door, just before he left. He couldn't bring himself to knock, so he just walked away. He wanted to talk to her, but he didn't want to argue with her. He hated to leave things like this, he just didn't see any other way.

He took one last look at the palace. Who knew when he would be back here again. As he did he saw her walking towards him. At first he wasn't sure if she was real or if he was seeing things. She had changed from red to her normal green clothes. She was also caring her pack over her shoulder.

"You said you would drop me of anywhere I wanted." It was the first thing she had said to him in almost a day. All he could do was nod at her, like a idiot. "Then take me to Gaoling." Her voice was flat, no sign of any felling.

He started to think that this really wasn't Toph after all. One thing he was sure off when it came to her was that she hated her father, being in his house, or anywhere near it. She would never want to go back there. Something was not right. He knew if he brought it up is would only start another fight. She would also simply choose not to travel with him, and he didn't want that. If this was going to be the last time he saw her for a very long time, he wanted to drag it out for as long as he could. Maybe make it up to her a little.

He had to choice his next words very carefully. "Are you sure." He spoke as gently as he could.

"If you are going to ask my questions, then I will make my own way there."

"No" He all but shouted out. He had expected her to say something like that. He had also expected that he would have to leave without seeing her again. Now she was standing in-front of him. The thought that he could lose this last chance to spend time with her scared him.

She didn't even flinch when he shouted. She walked past him, then bent the earth to take her up to Appa's saddle. She sat at the front of the saddle with her back to where she knew Aang would soon be sitting, on Appa's head. Aang felt a pain in his chest when she did this, she was still no closer to forgiving him. She was alive she was going to be sitting so close to him, but she had never felt her so far away. He then followed her lead and bent himself too Appa's head, and they set off.

The trip was silent. Toph was planning what she was going to say to her father when she saw him again. She had so many questions she wanted to ask him, but every time she thought about it too much she found herself going over all the things she was going to yell at him for. She wasn't naive enough to think that she was going to remain calm, and have a conversation with him. She had been holding the pendent of her mother's necklace in her hand since they took off. It was something she did without thinking, she used to do the same thing with the grand master bracelet, that Aang made for her, but not any more. She had thought about giving it back to him again. She decided that she was going to keep it. It no longer had the same meaning that it used to have, but it still meant something to her.

Aang had turned to look at her, and noticed her holding the necklace in her hand. He tired to think what she was thinking about. She knew he was watching her, so she turned round a little. He saw her hand move, form the corner of his eye. As she started to bit her nails. This was a habit he thought she had grown out of. He hadn't seen her do it in a long time.

After a while he noticed the earth kingdom in the distance. His grip on the rains tightened. He had a moment of self-doubt. Was he really doing the right thing. He closed his eyes tight. He tired to think of anything that would tell him he was doing the right thing. All that came to his mind was Toph. As he had seen her in the swamp, as she started to laugh, her face changed she screamed. He had only heard her scream once before. Her face turned to the memory of how she had looked, when she got hurt.

He unknowingly had let out a yell. Toph out of instinct had turned to face him. Once he opened his eyes he felt her sightless eyes burning into his back "Sorry." He plastered a on a fake smile and used his cheeriest voice. "We're almost there."

She turned back round, and slid further down the side of the saddle. They were going to be there soon. A part of her wanted to jump off, see want happened. How hard would she hit the water. His eyes burning into the back of her head, trying to think what she was thinking kept her in palace, more than any sense of self preservation. Zuko had always said she didn't have this sense anyway.

A good few hours later, Appa landed just outside of the Bei Fong estate. Like he had done nearly six years ago. Toph jumped off the saddle, onto the hard ground. Aang saw her winch as she pulled herself up, she was still weak. He jumped to the ground after her. He was about to offer her a hand when she quickly turned away from him.

She had changed do much since she was here last. She was ready, ready to face him again. She had seen, felt people that she cared about die. She was hardened more than she thought it was possible to be. He didn't frighten her any more. There was nothing he could do or say to hurt her any more. She wanted answers from him and she was going to get them. Ignoring Aang she started to walk towards the main gate of the estate.

"Goodbye Toph." He called quietly after her. he didn't even know if he had really said it or if it was a voice in his head.

It seemed he had spoken, and Toph heard him. She spun round to face him. With a voice dripping with venom she called back to him. "I hate you."

Aang couldn't move, he just stood there, and watched her walk back into her cage. Her words ringing in his head. He felt like he was back in the swap again chasing after her. It seemed like that was all he had ever been doing with her, running after her. Just when it felt he had caught up with her, she run away again. Once the gate had slammed shut behind her, and he couldn't see her any more, he wanted to run after her. Say how sorry he was, let her pick where they went next. Instead he airbent himself to his place of Appa's head again. Then waited , watching her until she was just a dot in the distance, before he pulled the reins and took to the sky's again.

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**I was going to end this part of the story here, but I felt I had to do a chapter about Toph facing her father again. I was then going to add that to this chapter, but I felt like it had to be a chapter on its own. The whole thing about Toph wanting to find the man that killed her mother, has to be dealt with. I left it for a bit, but it has to be dealt with. So the next one will be the last chapter in this part. Sorry this was such a short chapter, but there isn't much you can write when the characters aren't talking to each other. Thanks for reading please review. **


	17. Chapter 17

Toph walked along the path that would lead her back to the cage she had lived in for so long. She had been twelve and a half when she left, she was now seventeen and a half, Five years older. She didn't feel any older, with ever step she took she felt herself regressing to a child again. The hight she had gained, slipped away as she felt like a small child again. Her clothes, that had fitted before, now felt like they where swamping her. Her pack also seemed heavier than it should. Her energy, that had been low for a while now, dropped to the lowest she had ever felt it. Her legs felt like they wouldn't be able to carry her any longer.

She felt the air current become stronger, as a cold gust of wind blew over her. Appa must have taken off. A part of her wanted to yell for him to come back, but what would that achieve. It wouldn't change anything. He had become as stubborn as she was, she took full responsibility for that. She pushed him out of her mind, she had to remain controlled for what was about to happen. Pushing herself forward, she ignored her spinning head, and the urge to collapse to the ground.

The servants had been so shocked to see her that they didn't make any attempt to speak to her. She was glad about that. She made her way to a small room at the back of the house. Her father's study. She felt his steady heart beat, she liked to feel the calm heart beat of a person, when she knew she was going to causes it to race soon, and they had no idea what was coming.

He was sitting in the chair that faced the window, so he didn't see her as she entered. "Is dinner served already."

"I don't know. I haven't live here for five years." He still recognised her voice, but not the harsh tone. He got to his feet, turned to look at her. She looked so different, it was like he was looking at her mother again after seventeen years. She had the same pale skin, black hair and those large eyes. "I was expecting a bigger reaction." Her voice was so bitter now.

He wasn't listening to what she was saying. From the second he saw her, the world seemed to dropped away. All that mattered that she, his daughter was back home. He moved towards her, carefully in-cause he was imagining things, that she wasn't really there. When he reached her he tried to hug her, but she blocked his arms then pushed him back, in a outburst of anger. He almost fell over, with the force of her shove.

"Don't touch me." He had never heard her sound so harsh, so angry.

"My poor frail daughter, what has the avatar done to you."

She wasn't expecting him to ask her anything like that. Normally she would have stood up for Aang, told him that it was her choice to leave. That she hated being here so much, she had chosen to runway. She just couldn't do that now, she didn't want to think about what Aang had done to her. She hated that he had been able to get to her so quickly. That Aang hurt her so badly. This was why she kept away around herself, so she didn't get hurt like this.

"Nobody makes me do anything, not even the avatar."

"That's not what I asked you." Lao didn't want to push her, she was back and that was what was important, however he could tell that something had happened between his daughter and the avatar. He couldn't miss the chance to use this to break whatever hold the avatar had over Toph. Deep down he knew that she had chosen to leave, but the larger part of him couldn't accept that. So he put all of the blame onto the avatar.

"Why don't I ask you a few questions instead." Her hand moved to the necklace. Her father didn't notice this, he was to caught up in having her back. "Why did you send people to try and bring me back, why did you toss me away when I didn't do what you wanted, why did you lie to me."

He choice not to answer any of her questions. "Your mother and I have been so worried about you." he was close to shedding a tear, as he once again tried to reach out to his daughter.

A grin appeared on her face, and a slight laugh escaped her lips. She took one large stop backwards. "We both know that not one word of that is true." It was now that Lao finally noticed the necklace she was wearing. Toph was sure his heart stopped for a few seconds. That was the kind of reaction she had expected from him when she first arrived. "I know everything." She set her sightless eyes on him. Waiting for him to speak.

Lao Bei Fong had never wanted his daughter to know the truth about her mother. Toph was the most precious thing to him. He would do anything he felt he had to, to keep her safe. Even keep her locked up and the truth of her mother from her. When he lost her, he felt Toph was the only link he had to her. He wouldn't lose her too. If she knew about her mother, it would would only hurt her to know. Seeing the pain in her eyes, he knew he was right.

"I did what I felt was best for you."

"Liar." He felt the walls echo with the strength of her outburst. He honestly thought that was the cause, it never dawned on him that it was her earthbending. He would never really see her as an earthbender, no matter what she did. "I am the grand master earthbender. I know when anyone is lying."

"What have you been doing all this time that you leant something like that."

"I've been teaching the avatar how to earthbend, fighting the fire nation, keeping the balance that I fought to achieve. I have always been able to tell when someone is lying. I always knew, every little white lie you told me. I did lean to bend metal and bone, while I was gone though. I am not a delicate flower that has to be supported, you never really saw me...he was the first one too." She had to stop herself from saying any more. She had tried so hard not to let her anger control her, but it was talking over.

He didn't feel that as her father he owed her any exaction, but he couldn't leave her the way she was, so angry and bitter. She had to understand why he made the choices he had. "Your mother was the most important person to me, I love her still. You are all I have left of her."

This had no affect on Toph. Loving someone wasn't about controlling them. Keeping then with you, even when they wanted to leave. "I'm not her. She didn't love you. You tired to make her, and control her, but you couldn't not truly. You tried to do the same with me, but I won't let you. I hate you." This was the second time she had said those three days that day.

Her breathing became strained. She was still healing from the attack. She pushed herself to hard. She could feel tears of frustration starting to well up, she didn't want him to see her like this. So she pushed them back. He would see it as proof that she was as weak as he thought. She wished that for once, just once, even for a second, she could make her father hear her. Really hear her, but that didn't seem like it was ever going to happen.

"I love you. I just wanted you to be safe." He was telling the truth.

Toph despite not getting the answers that she wanted, she had needed this. She needed to finally get all of this anger out. It had been inside her for as long as she could remember. It didn't make her feel any better though. She still had the anger she had for Aang. That wasn't going to go away any time soon. Unfortunately. Neither was the angry for the man, Kenchi that killed her mother. All she had done was put a bandage on it, stop the blood from coming so strongly. The blood was still there, it just didn't flow out freely.

"I know who killed her. I...nearly killed him, but I stopped myself. I thought I was over it ...I'm not. It still hurts. Its like I was numb, I thought I had dealt with it. All I was, was numb to it." Water was welling up in her eyes, but she was still fighting them from falling. She wanted so badly for him to tell her it was going to be ok, hug her. Like she was a child again. Make her feel that she had a place in the world, that she hadn't just been left behind by the people she really thought of as family.

Lao had never been go with feelings. Not knowing what to do, he hesitantly raise his hand to place on her shoulder. His attempt at hugging her hadn't gone very well, so this seemed like the best option. She slapped his hand away, then turned to leave. This really had been pointless. All she wanted to do now was get out of there. More than anything she wanted to hate him, but he was just so pathetic that she couldn't.

Lao watched his daughter walk away. He knew he had to do something to get her to stay or he would lose her forever. "She had a study of her own. At the far end of the est wing. It's still the same as it was."

Toph had never been aloud to go to the east wing, now she knew why. She left the room, and made her way down the corridor. She never thought about it, her legs just moved on their own. The east wing was less grand than the rest of the estate. She guesses that was why her mother chose to have her study there. She found the room very easily. The door was locked, so she bent the meteor headband into a key to unlock the door. Once unlocked it slowly creaked open. Toph stayed in the corridor, gathering the courage to enter. After a few seconds, and a deep breath, she took the first step into the her mothers study.

The room had a set of glass doors that lead out into a privet garden, directly opposite the room Toph just walked through. Her mother was an herbalist, so she must have had the garden to grow plants for medicines. The left wall was covered almost entirely by a bookcase that was full of books on plants, and sward fighting techniques. The right wall had a collection of swards of all different sizes. Everything in the room had a layer of dust. There was a desk and chair by the glass door. She found herself moving towards it. She ran her fingers along the desk, removing a thin line of dust. There was a piece of paper laying out, like it had just been finished when... she picked it up. After a few minutes to prepare herself, she ran her fingers over the paper taking in all the ink. Once she had she finally shed the tear that had been sloes to falling for a long time. She had finally lost the fight to hold it back.

Dear Toph

I am writing this to you before you are even born. Before I know what you'll even look like. Though I do know you will have my green eyes. This is not optional, I'm afraid. They are my only beauty, so I want you to have them too. I also know thought that they will be only one of you beauty's. I have had your name picked out for as long as I can remember, I just know you are going to be a girl. That is why I am writing this to you. You are going to have to learn to compromise who you really are, because you are a girl. You have been born into nobility, that will only make it harder for you. You are my daughter., so I also know you will hate this fact. You are going to have to hide who you are inside, but I promise you that I will do everything in my power to give you the life you want for yourself. All I want is for you to be happy. No matter what that involves. I will always love you and be proud of you no matter what you do.

I love you my beautiful girl.

Toph's knees finally gave way, she shank to the ground. Her fatigue caught up to her.

She would have helped her, loved her. Her mother would have understood why she had to go with Aang, she would have supported her. How could her mother have known her so well, when she had never meet her. How could she miss someone so much that she had never meet. Her life could have been so different, so much easier.

The next thing that Toph was aware of, Was when she woke up in her old bed. the servants must have been told to tack her here, after she fell to the floor crying. Unlike her mothers study, her room wasn't covered in a layer of dust. It must have been cleaned regularly. Waiting for her to come back.

She felt the walls press in around her, she was trapped again. She was to weak and tired to leave, to even sit up. Her hands clenched as she tried not to cry again. She rolled onto her side, pulling the cover around her more. Maybe this was her fate, she had tried to run from it, but it had caught up with her. She couldn't run from it forever, she didn't have it in her to keep running.

_Why fight fate._

* * *

**This is the last chapter in this part. I was happy with the way it started, but I think it went downhill after that. So thank you for continuing to read it. I had to keep Toph at her father's house for a bit, so I added in the hit to her head earlier on. That way she would be too weak to put up much of a fight with him. I know it doesn't make much since , but it will pay of later. The letter is very cheesy and corny I know, but I felt there should be some contact between mother and daughter. **

**The next part is going to be where we go from here 12: fire and ice. It is going to deal with Zuko and Katara's wedding.**


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